Demand that Senators keep permanent paid leave in the Build Back Better
Act and pass it NOW!
[ [link removed] ]Take Action Now
[ [link removed] ]SIGN NOW

Dear Friend,

We’re two weeks into 2022 and in some ways it feels like 2020. The virus
is surging, there are staffing shortages in our schools,[ [link removed] ] grocery
stores, and hospitals, and the relief many families were relying on,
didn’t arrive. 

[1]→ Tell Congress: It’s past time to pass the Build Back Better Act with
paid leave for all. We need you to get this done.

If you’re anything like the millions of moms and families around the
country, you might be feeling nervous, stressed and angry. The Omicron
variant is wreaking havoc on our families, businesses and our care
infrastructure. Our healthcare system is stretched thin while essential
workers and employees manage the health of their patients, their own
health and that of their loved ones. 

And nationwide, those with school age children are dealing with a variety
of challenges with school closures, rapidly spreading COVID and no safety
net like access to paid leave or the monthly Child Tax Credit. 

During the first week of January alone, more than 5,000 schools were
closed for in-person learning leaving parents scrambling to figure out how
to take time away from work to care for their children. [ [link removed] ]  The rapid
spread of Omicron has contributed to a rise in Covid-19 cases; with more
than 700,000 new cases per day. [ [link removed] ]  What we need right now are family
friendly policies like paid family and medical leave and we have to
reinstate the monthly Child Tax Credit that lifted so many children out of
poverty in 2021. 

[2]→ Sign our letter asking the Senate to make families a priority by
passing the Build Back Better Act with paid family and medical leave.

At a time when caregivers, moms, moms of color and their families are
doing their best to maintain some sense of normalcy, parents who do not
have dependable child care are deciding whether or not to keep their
children home, workers who do not have access to paid family and medical
leave are deciding whether or not they can go into work and businesses are
struggling to stay afloat.  

We need a permanent and comprehensive paid family and medical leave
program now and not later.  And the U.S. Senate can do that by passing the
Build Back Better Act. 

Working families need access to paid leave in order to take time off when
a new child arrives, to recover from childbirth, to care for themselves or
for an aging adult or family member with a disability when a health
emergency arises. The U.S. is the only industrialized country that does
not offer a mandated paid family leave program.  

This is absurd and I’ll keep saying so until it changes! And I hope you’ll
join me!

Only 20% of private sector workers,[ [link removed] ] including 8% of the lowest wage
earners, have access to some form of paid family and medical leave. [ [link removed] ] 
You shouldn’t have to win the boss lottery in order to have access to paid
leave. People of color disproportionately lack access to paid family and
medical leave. Passing the Build Back Better Act with paid family and
medical leave would help address the structural inequities in our systems
that are disproportionately experienced by people of color. 

[3]There’s no time to waste, the Senate must act NOW to pass the Build
Back Better Act with Paid Leave for All and reinstate the monthly Child
Tax Credit.

To be honest, right now many families don’t have the luxury of time.
Families, small businesses and our nation can’t afford to wait. We need to
let our Senators know that we are counting on them to do what’s right, we
are asking them to pass paid family and medical leave in the Build Back
Better Act and to pass it now.

*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 your steadfast support, 

- Namatie, Taylor, 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 or affordable, quality
child care has impacted your family in the pandemic?
[4][link removed]

 

References:
[1] [5]Schools turn to parents for help as omicron surge causes staff
shortages
[2] [ [link removed] ]Omicron threatens to upend classrooms
[3] [ [link removed] ]Omicron fuels unprecedented spike in COVID-19 cases
[4] [ [link removed] ]Employee Benefits in the United States, March 2020
[5] [ [link removed] ]Quick Facts on Paid Family and Medical Leave


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