Paid Family Leave

Paid Family Leave

Overall Quest
Every working person should have paid family leave so we can care for and support our families and build thriving communities

 

The problem – Nearly everyone needs to take time away from work to care for a new child or to deal with a serious personal or family illness. But millions of working people, whose employers don’t include paid family leave as a basic benefit at work, cannot afford to take this essential time to care for their families.

  • With so many women in today’s workforce, paid family leave should be a basic benefit for working moms and dads to be able to take care of a new child or care for their own serious illness or that of a family member. Our families and our needs have changed, but the rules of the workplace have not kept up with the demands on the new workforce driving our economy.
  • Everyone wants what’s best for their family, but without paid family leave, parents are often forced to choose between their family’s financial stability and the health and well-being of their children or elderly parents.
  • All of us will have the need for family leave at some point in our lives. Workplace protections should not be up to the policies of an individual employer, which results in some people getting good benefits and others getting none.
  • Big corporations increase their profits by holding down wages and benefits, including basic protections like paid family leave.
  • Many small-business owners want to treat their employees well—including offering fair pay and good benefits. But big box stores and corporate chains threaten to undercut small, local businesses by denying working people basic benefits to care for and support their families, including paid family leave.

Our solution – No matter our occupation, we all need to take care of our family. All of us, by law, should have paid family leave as a basic standard at work.

  • Working people should have the peace of mind that comes with earning a decent wage and knowing that welcoming a new child, or they or family member suffering a serious won’t cost them their job or wreck their finances.
  • Paid family leave will benefit seniors, when adult children can afford to care for them during a serious illness.
  • By providing paid family leave, so working people can afford to take the time to care for a new child or to deal with their own or a loved one’s serious illness, we help build thriving communities and boost the economy.

How we get there  We need to update the rules of the workplace, so working people can care for and support their families.

  • The basic rules of today’s workplace should include a paid family leave fund, so all working people can afford to take that precious time with a new child or care for themselves or a loved one facing a serious illness.
  • Just like our government makes funds for retirement and workers compensation a basic part of work, in today’s workforce we need to make a fund for family leave part of every job.
  • Setting a fair floor for wages and benefits will level the playing field for small businesses and allow them to treat their workers right without fear of being undercut by big corporations who hold down wages and benefits.

Call to action  It’s up to us to demand that every working person should have paid family leave, so we can care for and support our families and build thriving communities.

  • We must hold our elected officials accountable for rewriting the rules so that every job comes with a family leave, so we can care for and support our families, and help our communities to thrive.
  • States around the country are leading the way by making paid sick days a basic benefit for working people. It’s time we did that for working people throughout the nation.
  • It’s time for policies that help families get ahead and build an economy that works for all of us, not just the wealthy.

Download Paid Family Leave Narrative

Download the American Women message guide for Economic Security for Women and Families

Download the Family Values at Work toolkit