Urge Congress to act now and pass paid family and medical leave in the
Build Back Better Act
[ [link removed] ]Take Action Now
[ [link removed] ]TAKE ACTION

Dear Friend,

I’ll get right to the point: The U.S. Senate must act immediately to pass
the Build Back Better Act with paid family and medical leave. There are
only 6 days left in the Congressional calendar before the Senate leaves
town for the year. They must get this done now. 

[ [link removed] ]→ Add your name to our letter urging the Senate to act to pass BBB with
paid family and medical leave right now.

The breaking news over the last few days about the Omicron COVID-19
variant makes it plain that paid family and medical leave is a necessity.
While there is no cause for panic as we wait to learn more about Omicron’s
transmissibility and how vaccines may respond to it, it’s evident that
providing working families with 4 weeks of paid family and medical leave
would go a long way towards lifting families, businesses and the economy
-- and, importantly, helping to stop the spread of harmful and contagious
viruses like COVID. In fact, a recent study confirmed that paid leave was
instrumental in “flattening the curve” of COVID-19 transmissions,
resulting in 400 fewer cases of the virus per day in states where workers
had access to paid sick leave. [1]  Paid leave and paid sick leave are
necessary public health tools that have been shown to help curb COVID-19
rates. 

Paid leave isn’t just good for public health and our families, it boosts
our economy and will help fight inflation. Paid family and medical leave
keeps workers attached to the workforce which helps people deal with
rising costs and increases the labor force. 

It helps moms and women who have been forced out of the workforce after a
new child or medical crisis. Paid family and medical leave would allow
working people to care for themselves if a serious health crisis strikes
or for their family members in a critical health emergency AND maintain
their financial security. A national paid family and medical leave program
would also help small businesses with covering the cost while employees
are out; and with retention, reduce turnover and could lead to higher
employee morale and productivity. [ [link removed] ]

[2]*The time is urgent - the Senate must act quickly to pass BBB with paid
leave.

The U.S. is the only industrialized nation that does not offer a mandated
paid family and medical leave policy. This is unacceptable and detrimental
to the millions of families who have been hard hit by the pandemic. Less
than one in four workers have access to paid family leave and only eight
in 10 workers have access to paid sick leave through their employer. [ [link removed] ]
This must change. 

*Appeal to Congress and ask the Senate to quickly pass paid family and
medical leave in the Build Back Better Act this year!

It’s clear: When an unexpected health emergency arises, working families
need to be able to take paid time off to provide care to their families or
to address their own serious health issues. This is a fact the pandemic
has made more than obvious. Passage of the Build Back Better Act with the
inclusion of paid leave by members of the U.S. House was the first step
towards providing working families with much needed assistance but now our
working families; small businesses and the economy need the Senate to do
their job and pass the Build Back Better Act as soon as possible. There is
no time to wait, families cannot afford to wait when relief is needed
right now. 

The evidence is crystal clear, there is broad support for policies like
paid family and medical leave in the Build Back Better Act from Republican
and Democratic voters alike. A recent survey confirms that in key states,
likely 2022 voters continue to strongly demand that Congress passes paid
family and medical leave. These voters maintain that the passage of paid
leave will lead to an improved economy and it will help address labor
shortages. [ [link removed] ] 

Voters, working families, and small businesses all strongly support paid
family and medical leave. 

If we want to ensure women and moms can stay in the workforce, if we want
to boost the economy, if we want to protect the health and livelihood of
families, if we want to work towards racial equity in our systems of care,
then we must demand that our Senators act now to pass the Build Back
Better Act with paid family and medical leave.    

[3]*Click here to ask your Senator to keep paid family and medical leave
in the Build Back Better Act and to pass it this year.

Time is of the essence. We are in an ongoing pandemic with newly
discovered COVID-19 variants, on the cusp of the winter cold and flu
season. Working families are still struggling to locate and afford
adequate child care, and families are still in need of home- and
community-based services for aging adults and people living with
disabilities. We need investments in our communities and support in the
form of comprehensive policies like paid family and medical leave. We also
need your help in letting members of Congress know that building back
better cannot take place without the inclusion of paid family and medical
leave for all. 

*Please take a moment to post this action link on your social media
networks like Facebook and Twitter; and to share with friends and family
too. The more of us who take action, the more powerful we are together.
Here’s that link again to take
action! [link removed]

Thanks for upholding paid family and medical leave, 

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

P.S.– Personal experiences are powerful and can make a HUGE difference in
helping elected leaders understand how public policies impact families so
they can move change. We want to hear more from YOU! Can you take a second
and follow the link below to share your personal story about how having,
or NOT having, access to job-protected paid leave has impacted your family
in the pandemic?
[4][link removed]

References: 

[1] [ [link removed] ]Factsheet: New study shows that emergency paid sick leave reduced
COVID-19 infections in the United States
[2] [ [link removed] ]Small Biz Already Carved Out of Paid Leave By Status Quo
[3] [ [link removed] ]Employers Strengthen Paid Leave Benefits During the COVID-19
Pandemic: Findings from the 2021 KFF Employer Health Benefits Survey
[4] [ [link removed] ]New Survey Shows Senate Battleground Voters Want Paid Leave as Part
of Build Back Better


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