Congress must act to pass paid leave for all!
[ [link removed] ]Take Action Now
[ [link removed] ]TAKE ACTION

Dear Friend,

Y’all. I am SO fed up and frustrated that we haven’t passed nation-wide
paid family and medical leave yet. When I tell you that this time last
year I was *convinced* we were about to win paid leave, I mean I was
convinced. It’s such a no-brainer, commonsense, hugely popular policy that
is so urgently needed... and yet…

…here we are. Deep sigh. Three years into a pandemic, Roe has been
overturned, the threats of forced birth are real – making permanent access
to paid family and medical leave even more crucial as we fight to restore
our abortion rights. Families are struggling to make ends meet, and
because of the entire Senate GOP–and one particular Democratic Senator
from my home state of West Virginia–Congress’ chance to pass paid family
leave this year in the Inflation Reduction Act has come and gone. [ [link removed] ]  

And now it’s getting even worse… my news feed is filled with reports that
some companies, including Hulu, are slashing their paid family leave
benefits for new parents, which, to be honest, was an entirely predictable
outcome here. [ [link removed] ] [1]I. Am. Fed. Up.

[2]→ Our lack of paid family and medical leave in this country will not be
solved by the private sector. Congress must act to pass a national paid
family and medical leave minimum standard. Period. Full stop.

If we can find the political will to close major corporate tax loopholes
and finally act on climate change, [ [link removed] ] we can ALSO pass paid family and
medical leave for all working people just like every other nation in the
world has already done except two. Congress CAN and must pass and fund
paid leave.

Here are the facts: Right now only 19% of working people have access to
paid family and medical leave through their employers. [ [link removed] ] Unpaid leave
under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act covers just under 60% of
working people BUT the fact that it is unpaid means it’s not usable for
working folks who cannot afford to take unpaid time away from work -
especially now. [ [link removed] ]

Let’s be real. Unpaid family leave means NO family leave. Working people
cannot afford to take unpaid time away from work to care for a new child,
to handle their own serious medical condition or to care for loved ones
with serious medical conditions and lose necessary income at the same
time.

Unpaid leave forces folks out of the jobs they need, and that hurts our
families, and it hurts our economy. 

[3]→ Tell Congress: Unpaid leave means no leave - and they MUST pass paid
family and medical leave for all working people.

It’s true that eleven states have passed state-wide paid family and
medical leave laws. But it’s also true that not every state is going to be
able to get this done, for a bunch of reasons. 

And, it’s not lost on us that NONE of the states that have banned abortion
or have the biggest restrictions on abortion rights have paid leave laws.
[ [link removed] ] This is not a coincidence, the ideology at work here is control – and
cruelty is the point (and forcing moms and parents out of much-needed jobs
adds salt to the wound).

[4]→ Congress must act to pass a nationwide minimum standard on paid
family leave for all working people.

Paid leave is a necessity and it’s critical for working families who are
struggling to make ends meet and fulfill their caregiving
responsibilities. Not only does paid family and medical leave benefit
employees by allowing them time to take off to recover from childbirth,
bond with a new child, provide care for themselves or a loved one when a
serious health issue arises or to recover from Covid, but paid leave
boosts employee morale and keeps employees and especially women whose
labor force participation has decreased dramatically in part due to
caregiving responsibilities, attached to the workforce. This means it
helps businesses and our economy too.

Our nation lacks family-centered policies like paid family and medical
leave, and women, who bear the brunt of providing care have been
disproportionately affected. It doesn’t have to be this way. We can do
better. 

If you’re as fed up as I am, pass this email on to your friends and family
so they can take action too. 

Together we’re a powerful force for women and families.

- Ruth, Kristin, Namatie, Tina, Beth, Diarra, 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?
[link removed]

References:

[1] Abortion bans are rising as paid leave is
dropping [5][link removed]
[2] ibid
[3] Time Magazine:
[link removed]
[4] National Partnership For Women & Families
[6][link removed]?.
[5] ibid 
[6] Center For American Progress: State abortion bans will harm women and
families economic security across the US
[link removed]


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