Trick or Treat! #PaidLeave4DC
October 17, 2016
This fall, more than just the leaves on DC trees are going to change. The leaves that working families take from work to fight cancer, take care of a newborn, or care for an aging parent are overdue for change – they need to be PAID!
The DC Council is back in session, the clock is ticking, and we must make sure the Council does the right thing by passing the Universal Paid Leave Act.
Yes, you read that right. The business lobby has proposed a misleading employer mandate “alternative” to the Universal Paid Leave Act. It is encouraging to see big business associations come to the table with a plan that recognizes the urgent need for employer-funded paid leave, but the plan would largely maintain the status quo in disparities for DC families’ lack of access to paid family and medical leave.
By excluding part-time employees, those in the first year of a new job, care for parents and adult children, and asking smaller businesses to wait on the private market to - maybe - create paid family leave insurance plans, this alternative proposal is NOT what DC working families want or need. The alternative proposal also lacks sufficient mechanisms for enforcement, leaving workers vulnerable to the whims of managers to deny a request for paid leave.
This is why 80% of DC supports the Universal Paid Leave Act, which would be funded through a citywide insurance pool, designed to be comprehensive in who it covers, including small business employees! We know Halloween is around the corner, but we refuse to be tricked.
In its current form, the Universal Paid Leave Act provides 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave in a way that lifts up low-income families and works for businesses of all sizes.
DC needs paid leave, but we need to get the job done right, with the DC Universal Paid Leave Act. Here’s why:
- DC has the highest infant mortality rate of all capital cities in the developed world. Studies show that paid leave reduces infant mortality rates.
- Thousands of DC families are living paycheck-to-paycheck without access to paid family and medical leave, so when a new baby arrives or a serious illness strikes, their economic security is in great danger. In fact, nearly half of Americans would have trouble finding $400 to pay for an emergency, let alone an emergency on top of missed paychecks.
- 1 in 2 men and 1 in 3 women will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime – and that’s just one disease. Everyone facing a life-threatening disease deserves to be able to take paid medical leave when they are receiving treatment.
- Mental health is as real of a health concern as other health issues. 1 in 7 women experiences postpartum depression in the year after they give birth. Some new moms need access to paid family and medical leave to treat mental illness and longer maternity leave reduces the risk of developing postpartum depression.
Together, we're a powerful force for women and families in DC.
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