Paid Leave Keeps Women in Their Jobs, and That’s Good for the Economy

December 12, 2013

Contact: Linda Meric, National Executive Director,
(303) 628-0925 x15 or lindam@9to5.org

9to5 applauds today’s introduction of The Family And Medical Insurance Leave Act (FAMILY Act), a federal bill to establish a national insurance program to provide wage replacement for workers when serious health and family caregiving needs arise.

This past August marked the 20^th anniversary of the implementation of the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA); a groundbreaking law at the time. FMLA has been used more than 100 million times, helping workers keep their jobs while they care for a family health crisis or a new baby. Unfortunately, because FMLA leave is generally unpaid and has eligibility restrictions, millions who qualify for it can’t afford to take it, and millions who’d like to benefit from it are excluded.

Teresa Benns, from Del Norte, Colorado, is one of the fortunate ones who qualified for FMLA. As the primary caregiver for her husband, who is a veteran and disabled, Teresa is able to take unpaid leave. But like millions of working people, she can’t afford to. “If I take time off to care for my husband, I don’t get paid, and then I get behind on my mortgage and my bills,” says Benns.

Being fired, or losing a day’s pay, for taking care of yourself or a loved one during an illness, means that women can’t pay their rent, buy groceries, or repair their car – purchases that support families and local businesses. We can do better by working women and our economy.

Case in point –Jill Delie who lives in Milwaukee, benefits from Wisconsin’s Family Medical Leave Act (WFMLA) that 9to5 helped pass in 1988.   Wisconsin’s version of FMLA allows the employee to choose to substitute accrued paid or unpaid leave of any kind, helping working families balance work and family responsibilities more easily. A special-ed teacher, Jill was recently diagnosed with a chronic nerve condition with no known cure. Jill takes a few days of FMLA monthly to undergo tests and to learn how to manage the disease. “If I lost my job because of my condition, I would lose everything,” says Jill Delie. “I don’t have another source of income so I choose to use my accrued sick hours under WFMLA. If I didn’t have the option to use my paid time off, I would’ve had no choice but to go into work while in chronic pain. I work hard to provide the quality education that my students deserve, but going to work sick would mean that I wouldn’t be able to do my job to the best of my ability.” Delie is now engaged in 9to5’s statewide effort to both protect the Wisconsin state law from attack by corporate lobbyists, and to educate voters and elected officials about the need for paid family and medical leave insurance in her state and across the country.

Again, we can do better. FMLA was meant only as a first step in helping workers handle the dual responsibilities of work and family.  Working women and families nationwide need access to paid family and medical leave insurance – a reflection of the needs of today’s workers, families and economy.  Paid leave would benefit all workers, but especially working women because they make up more than half of the workforce and represent 59 to 75 percent of family or informal caregivers.

The Family And Medical Insurance Leave Act (FAMILY Act), introduced today by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, will create an entirely self-funded insurance program that would support workers and businesses. Funding for the program would come from very small employee and employer contributions. Employees would receive a portion of their wages when they need to be at home to recuperate from their own serious illness; the serious illness of a child, parent or spouse (including a domestic partner); the birth or adoption of a child; the injury of a family member who is in the military; or needs arising from a service member’s deployment.

The benefits of paid leave are vast, including lower unemployment rates and greater job security, financial independence, economic growth, and savings to businesses by reducing worker replacement costs. Family and medical leave insurance has been passed in California, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Washington. In California, where it has been in effect longest, between 89 and 99 percent of employers report that the program has had either a positive or no noticeable effect on turnover, productivity, profitability and morale.

The FAMILY Act will allow women and families to maintain basic spending at a time they need it the most – contributing to stability of families, communities and a growing economy. It’s a simple common sense solution hardworking Americans want. And it’s the perfect prescription that will keep working women and families, local businesses and the economy vital and healthy.

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About 9to5: With forty years’ experience in winning justice for working women, 9to5 leads the way to create a powerful force for change on issues affecting low-wage women and their families. 9to5 organizes women to lead campaigns for family-supporting jobs with decent wages and paid sick days; stronger protections against workplace discrimination; and a strong safety net for low-income families. As one of the largest, most respected national membership organizations of working women in the U.S., we’ve won real changes since the hit song and movie based on 9to5 hit the charts. To learn more or to get involved, visit 9to5.org and find us on Facebook and Twitter.