|
| |
| |
John,
Today in 1993, the Family and Medical Leave Act was signed into law.
That was a big step -- finally acknowledging that allowing workers time to care for children and aging relatives or to cope with health issues without risking their employment is not only the right thing to do, but is also necessary to keep our economy functioning and families healthy and whole. But it wasn't nearly enough.
Now, as a pandemic rages through our country, millions fall ill, and schools and businesses are closed, it's more important than ever that we prioritize passing paid family and medical leave. We need to ensure that workers are able to take the time to care for children or sick family members or recover from COVID-19 themselves -- without going broke.
Please, add your name to our petition calling on Congress to pass legislation providing universal paid family and medical leave. We need to speak out to help our communities weather this crisis.
Not only are we in a public health crisis, we're in an economic crisis, too. The pandemic has wrecked our economy, and women and people of color are bearing the brunt of the strain. In December, women of color accounted for all the month's job losses.
Meanwhile, parents and caregivers are struggling to balance working and taking care of kids who are learning remotely -- and we know that child care responsibilities disproportionately fall on women.
Paid family and medical leave will give workers the option of taking some time off to care for their loved ones without losing their jobs or missing out on needed paychecks.
As of 2019, less than 20% of civilian workers had access to paid leave. The United States is one of the worst countries in the world in terms of offering leave for paid parental and family leave. Ours is the richest country in the world -- and one of only five nations that doesn't mandate some form of paid leave.
It means that workers can't always stay home when they're sick because they can't afford to miss a single paycheck -- allowing diseases to spread. It means that one out of four women has to return to work within two weeks of giving birth. As a person who has given birth twice, I can tell you that two weeks off is not enough time to heal.
It just doesn't make sense.
John, passing paid family and medical leave is the right and necessary thing to do.
If you agree, please add your support to our petition calling on Congress to pass paid leave immediately. Click here to sign on.
Thank you,
Christy
|
Christy Smith is only soliciting funds that comply with federal campaign finance laws.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
