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Paid Leave is YOUR Human Right!

Paid Leave
is YOUR Human Right!

Paid Leave is YOUR Human Right!

“Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control. Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection”.

-The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948

The Urgent Need for Universal Paid Family Leave

The United States is the only industrialized nation that does not have a universal paid family leave policy to support children & families.

Under the current federal policy, the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), only certain employees qualify for up to 12 weeks of unpaid family and/or medical leave. To qualify for the program, employees must have worked for their employer at least 12 months and have worked at least 1,250 hours over the past 12 months, and work at a location where the company employs 50 or more employees within 75 miles. With these strict eligibility requirements, many individuals can not afford to take unpaid leave and FMLA qualifications exclude smaller employers and many part-time workers. In fact, 2018 data estimates that only 56% of US employees are eligible for FMLA. Having a lack of policy supporting paid, accessible leave for all individuals caring for child/children violates the right that all humans have in regards to care.

With the lack of universal paid family leave, working parents must make the excruciating choice of going to work to maintain their jobs and source of income or leaving the workforce altogether to care for their child. This difficult decision is one that disproportionately affects women, low wage workers and people of color. Further, this lack of universal paid family leave in the United States contributes to higher rates of child poverty, economic insecurity, and mental health challenges.

FAMILIES MATTER ACT

An Equitable Future For All

Our proposed Families Matter Act (FMA) offers 20 weeks of universal paid family leave for one mothers/father; caregiver or one party of the parental relationship and 12 weeks of paid family leave for second mother/father, caregiver or other party of the parental relationship.
The FMA defines “parent” to encompass all caregivers of children like same sex couples, grandparents, adoptive parents and all types of families.
This new policy will be available to all workers regardless of sector or employer size and regardless of being employed full-time, part-time or being self-employed.
The FMA will be funded responsibly by small employee and employer payroll contributions of two-tenths of 1 percent each (two cents per $10 in wages), or less than $2.00 per week for a typical worker.
It will be administered through a new Office of Universal Paid Family Leave. Payroll contributions would cover both insurance benefits and administrative costs.

GET INVOLVED

There are many ways to take action as a supporter of the Families Matter Act, all of which are key elements to the implementation of universal paid family leave. Check out some of the ways you can get involved and take action today!