Families, Women, Seniors, Infants, Businesses All Greatly Impacted by NY’s Lack of Paid Family Leave
Kingston, NY – Working families are forced to decide between their paychecks and caring for loved ones according to Hudson Valley residents, community leaders and national experts gathered at a forum on Monday night to address New York’s lack of paid family leave. While the federal Family and Medical Leave Act provides some help, 88% of all private sector workers do not have any access to paid family leave.
During the 2015 legislative session, the state Assembly passed a modernization of the temporary disability insurance program in New York that, if the state Senate had acted, would have provided up to 12 weeks of job-protected paid family leave a year so that workers could care for a new child or seriously ill family member, or address important needs related to a family member’s military service. The program would not have any taxpayer expense.
“It is important for individuals, businesses, and our entire community that we support paid family leave,” said Mike Hein, Ulster County Executive. “For far too many Americans, when a loved one has a health crisis, or when a new child is born or adopted, they are forced to take unpaid leave or exit the workforce altogether.”
“Paid Family Leave has emerged as a hot issue in the national debate, with presidential candidates on both sides of the aisle offering plans. But expectant moms in New York and workers caring for a seriously ill family member can’t afford to wait, and shouldn’t have to,” said Nancy Rankin, Vice President for Policy Research at Community Service Society. “We could easily have paid family leave right now by a simple fix to our outmoded temporary disability insurance system, like California, New Jersey and Rhode Island have already done. The Assembly has passed this bill, and the State Senate should follow suit when it returns to session in January.”
“The Paid Family Leave Insurance Act would enact an extremely low cost and easily implemented change in New York’s current Temporary Disability Insurance system,” said Blue Carreker, Citizen Action of New York and the NY Paid Family Leave Insurance Campaign. “But it would represent a long overdue modernization of the workplace resulting in significant relief from ongoing economic and emotional stress for today’s working families.”
“The NYS AFL-CIO and its affiliates supported the Paid Family Leave Insurance bill last year on the State level,” said Paul Ellis-Graham, President of Hudson Valley Area Labor Federation AFL-CIO. “This long overdue bill would make New York a national model by improving on similar enacted bills in other states. It will help employers and, most importantly, employees meet the demands of family and work. This new benefit would mean that workers need not fear unemployment or long term financial ruin if they are forced to temporarily care for a loved one who suffers a debilitating illness or injury. It is time to get it done in 2016.”
“As a Registered Nurse in the Intensive Care Unit, I care for many critically ill patients. I see the struggles their families go through, the choice between being at the bedside of their loved one for days or weeks, or going to work because they also need to provide for their family,” said Margaret Rhoda, Registered Nurse at Benedictine Hospital and NYSNA member. “In a society where most households need to earn two paychecks to survive, these have become real choices, and difficult choices. This is why paid family leave needs to become law in New York.”
“Paid family leave is essential to the well-being of New York’s workforce, who too often have to choose between caring for a family member and paying the bills, said Shannon Wong, Incoming Director, Lower Hudson Valley Chapter of the New York Civil Liberties Union. “Paid family leave will provide critical support to women, who disproportionately bear the burden of caregiving, and will help level the playing field for low wage workers, who often risk debt or bankruptcy if they have a child or a family member falls sick.”
“Family leave insurance would help both employees and employers by giving workers the economic peace of mind they need to remain productive at the workplace and provide invaluable care for their loved ones,” said Laura Palmer, Associate State Director of Advocacy for AARP.
More information on the NY Paid Family Leave Insurance campaign can be found at http://timetocareny.org.
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