Congress, the time is now! Pass national comprehensive paid family and
medical leave.
[ [link removed] ]Take Action Now
[ [link removed] ]SIGN NOW

Dear Friend,

In case you missed it, the month of October finished off strong! And no,
it wasn’t because we got to eat all of the Halloween candy that we
confiscated from our little ones (although that was a highlight). It was
because the United States Senate Finance Committee held its first ever
hearing on paid family and medical leave! See? I told you it was a strong
finish.

You’re probably thinking, a Senate hearing, why in the world is that a big
deal? Well, if you allow me a few moments of your time, I’ll explain. A
full United States Senate Finance Committee hearing means Senators are
even more invested in supporting workers, families, businesses, and our
need for paid family and medical leave like every other nation except six
have already!

It also means this important milestone is leading us closer to votes on
and passage of a national paid family and medical leave program. This is a
WIN!

Now don’t get me wrong, the hearing was a huge deal and we are ecstatic
that so many Senators are supportive of paid family and medical leave,
[ [link removed] ]but now we need to remind our Senators that a hearing is just one step
on the road to passing paid leave – so their work isn’t done. And that’s
where you come in.

We have to keep the pressure on our elected leaders, all of us are in this
together, and it’s up to all of us to demand our nation finally passes
paid family and medical leave for all for when a new baby or child arrives
or when a serious health crisis strikes ourselves or a close loved one!

[ [link removed] ]Tell your US Senators to support and pass a national comprehensive paid
family and medical leave program for all families ASAP.

During the hearing, we heard expert witness testimony from both sides of
the aisle in addition to commentary from members of the Senate Finance
Committee. What stood out to me were the two constituent stories that were
lifted up by Jocelyn Frye, President of the National Partnership for Women
and Families and U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH). These stories from
MomsRising members Tracy Wood and Carrie Duran resonated with me and I’m
sure you’ll find them familiar to you as well:

Tracy Wood is a speech language pathologist and a mom of six from Texas.
One of her children has special needs and complex challenges, and she
provides caregiving for other family members as well, including an elderly
and homebound grandparent. Tracy used to work a full-time job but was
forced to leave several years ago because she did not have paid leave. She
now holds a contracting position without benefits. That gives her more
flexibility, but any time she needs to step away to meet her son's medical
needs (hospitalizations, surgeries etc.) she loses her income entirely
until she returns. Tracy is grateful they can still mostly cover the
basics with her husband's income but losing her paycheck puts a major
strain on her family's budget and adds another layer of stress.

Tracy isn’t alone.

Carrie Duran is from New Hampshire. Carrie is a single parent of three and
works part-time because her youngest daughter Katie has high medical
needs, she’s also a caregiver to her father who was diagnosed with
Alzheimers. Carrie was caregiving for her kids and her father, all while
trying to work and she did not have paid leave to be able to pay for those
missed hours of work due to doctor’s appointments. Her family really
suffered financially. Carrie was facing the choice of whether to take her
father to a doctor’s appointment or go to work so she could put food on
the table. If she had paid family and medical leave, she wouldn’t have to
worry, she would take her child to the doctor, to the hospital, or
wherever she needed to go and that’s how it should be.

→ Help us back up Carrie and Tracy’s stories – and all of our stories – by
urging our US Senators to keep pushing forward on passing [ [link removed] ]a national
comprehensive paid family and medical leave program for all families.

Paid family and medical leave is a critical policy that lifts working
families, saves lives, as well as keeps workers attached to the workforce
which is good for business and boosts our economy. Paid family and medical
leave would allow working people time to bond with a new baby or child,
care for themselves if a serious health crisis arises or care for a loved
one facing a serious health crisis.

The United States is one of only six countries in the world that
guarantees zero weeks of paid family and medical leave. Only one in four
workers in the U.S. have access to paid leave through their employers, and
just two in five have access to personal medical leave through an
employer’s short-term disability plan. [1]

[ [link removed] ]It doesn’t have to be this way. Other countries have done it and we can
too!!

What the stories from our MomsRising members show and what was evident
during the Senate Finance Committee hearing is that there is broad support
for paid family and medical leave. Key findings from recent public opinion
research shows consistent support from likely voters for the care agenda
which included paid family and medical leave. Seven in ten women and 84
percent of moms are more likely to vote for a candidate who SUPPORTS a
caregiving agenda that includes 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave.
[2] Moms and families need a national comprehensive paid leave program.

We can’t afford to wait, the price of inaction is too high a cost to bear.
We need to build the foundations of success for families and communities,
we need to pass paid family and medical leave NOW.

Thanks for your continued support,

- Namatie, Ruth, Kristin, and the whole MomsRising.org & MamásConPoder
Team

 

References:

[1] [ [link removed] ]Paid Family and Medical Leave in the United States
[2] "[ [link removed] ]MomsRising Together. Findings from Public Opinion Research"


--------------------------------------------------------------------------

[ [link removed] ]Vote     [ [link removed] ]Facebook     [ [link removed] ]Twitter     [ [link removed] ]Radio     [ [link removed] ]Donate     

[ [link removed] ]Register to vote! / [ [link removed] ]¡Regístrese para votar!

[ [link removed] ]Join our Spanish language community, MamásConPoder.org

What should MomsRising tackle next? [ [link removed] ]Tell us!



You can unsubscribe from this mailing list at any time:
[link removed]