Albany, NY – Following today’s announcement that a statewide paid family leave program would be included in the final 2016-2017 budget, advocates, supporters and small businesses owners expressed their gratitude and support for this critical legislation that will allow New Yorkers to no longer have to choose between a paycheck and caring for a new baby or sick loved one.
The bill will provide 12 weeks of job protected leave that is phased in over four years to care for a new child or seriously ill loved one. Workers will be able to receive 2/3rds of their own wage up to a maximum benefit 2/3rds of the statewide average weekly wage, or about $850/week. This measure also includes job protection so that New York workers have peace of mind that when they return from leave at critical life moments, they know they have a job to come back to. This new program covers all 6.4 million private sector workers in New York who currently lack access to paid family leave.
Winning paid family leave is a big victory for New York’s families,” said 32BJ President Hector Figueroa. “This is a strong bill that ensures working men and women can take leave to take care of a new baby or an ailing parent without worrying about the loss of a paycheck or losing their jobs.”
“After fighting for ten long years, we are thrilled to see our home state become the fourth in the nation to guarantee paid family leave by law and the first to provide 12 job-protected weeks,” said Sherry Leiwant and Dina Bakst, Co-Founders and Co-Presidents of A Better Balance. “New York’s landmark legislation will benefit millions of families, and enable workers to breathe more easily knowing they can pay the bills when they take time off to welcome a new child or care for an ailing loved one. This is a giant step in our efforts to make paid family leave a reality for all Americans. ABB applauds Governor Cuomo for his bold leadership and thanks our champions in the legislature for their firm commitment to the wellbeing of New York’s working families.”
Today’s victory was won by thousands of working families across New York who raised their voices to call for paid family leave. I will forever remember the young mother forced to return to work while her baby was still in the Neonatal Unit; the father who lost his job because he took too much time to care for his wife during a difficult pregnancy; the caregiver who tried to explain to an elderly woman that her son still loved her, but that he could not visit because he had to work to pay her medical bills. We thank the legislators who listened and the Governor for making this a budget priority. And we join with all New Yorkers in celebrating, finally, the right to paid time off to care for their loved ones,” said Blue Carreker Upstate Organizer, NY Paid Family Leave Insurance Campaign and Campaign Manager, Citizen Action of New York & Public Policy and Education Fund of New York.
“The promise of adequate wage replacement and job security will make a world of difference in the lives of New Yorkers – especially those struggling hardest to make ends meet,” said Nancy Rankin, Vice President for Policy Research at Community Service Society and one of the leaders of the movement to pass paid family leave. “No longer will new parents be forced to leave a tiny infant just weeks’ old, no longer will a needed family member be forced to rush back to work when a loved one’s life hangs in the balance. We salute the Governor for his leadership, our legislative champions Assemblywoman Nolan, Senators Addabbo, Klein and others for their steadfast support, and all the New Yorkers who fought to modernize New York’s laws to provide the best paid family leave policy in the nation.”
“No longer will the ability to support those you love in times of need be a privilege only enjoyed by wealthy New Yorkers. Today’s passage of paid family leave will make an enormous difference in the lives of the millions of New Yorkers facing family crises while also struggling to make ends meet. This victory was the result of years of organizing by working families–we are glad that they found strong allies in Governor Cuomo, Speaker Heastie, Assemblywoman Nolan, Senator Stewart-Cousins, Senator Klein, and Senator Addabbo, as well as other legislative leaders,” said Bill Lipton, Director of the New York Working Families Party.
“Family Values @ Work and the 23 other coalitions in our network congratulate the New York coalition for setting a paid family leave standard for the rest of our country to follow. This win, resulting from the work of hundreds of organizations and businesses and thousands of individuals, came with bipartisan support, after voters from across the state made it clear to their elected officials that babies and cancer affect all of us. The victory will inspire coalitions in DC, Massachusetts and Connecticut, all vying to be next — and all paving the way for a national paid family leave program,” said Ellen Bravo, Executive Director of Family Values @Work.
“We are thrilled that New York State will truly” lead on leave” by today adopting the most robust Paid Family Leave program in the country. We applaud Governor Cuomo for making Paid Family Leave a top priority this year and give profuse thanks to him and to our legislative champions, Assemblymember Cathy Nolan, and Senators Joe Addabbo and Jeff Klein for fighting to make this day possible. We are most grateful to our coalition partners, their members and the thousands of workers, business owners and activists across this state who raised their voices in support of Paid Family Leave. They never gave up this fight for economic justice. Workers will now finally be able to care for their families without suffering financial hardship,” said Donna Dolan, Executive Director of the New York Paid Leave Coalition.
“12 weeks of job protected paid family leave is a tremendous victory for New York families that will no longer have to choose between paying the bills and caring for a loved or being there for a new child. This is the culmination of years of work by advocates and a growing movement in New York and around the country calling for paid family leave,” said Eric Williams, Campaign Director for the New York Paid Family Leave Insurance Campaign. “We thank Governor Cuomo for his strong support. and the long standing commitment of legislative leaders in the Assembly and Senate like Assemblymember Nolan, Senator Addabbo, and Senator Klein. This policy leads the nation and contains the key components we’ve felt are critical to a paid family leave policy that works for New York workers and the state’s small businesses.
“By passing a paid family leave program, our state leaders have made NYS a more attractive place to do business,” said Laura Ornstein, Coordinator of the New York State Sustainable Business Council. “Business owners understand that treating employees well is good for the financial bottom line. Paid family leave will cut costs by reducing turnover and boosting job loyalty and productive since employees will no longer be forced to choose between losing pay or quitting their job to care for a sick family member or showing up to work distracted by their worry for a loved one.”
“We are very happy that paid leave is now the law of the land for New York state,” said Greta Twombly, Campaigns Manager for the American Sustainable Business Council, which has a member network spanning more than 200,000 businesses nationally. “Many of our New York members like EILEEN FISHER, UncommonGoods, and Manufacture NY, already provide paid leave because they know it is the smart business decision. Paid leave will help businesses across the state retain more loyal, more efficient employees, boosting productivity and bottom lines. When businesses succeed the whole economy succeeds. Paid leave is an important step towards a high road economy.”
“Paid family leave will mean a better quality of life for many older New Yorkers with serious illnesses. Their family members can give them the care and support they need and keep them living at home as long as possible,” said Michael Burgess, Former Director, New York State Office for the Aging.
“At Labor Project for Working Families we’re thrilled that #NYisNext because the #TimetoCareNY including the NY AFL-CIO, SEIU, NYSNA, UFCW, UFT and many other labor partners across the state delivered for families. Kudos – now #NYisNext for PFL and we have the FF$15! Labor continues its fight for families,” said Carol Joyner, Director of the Labor Project for Working Families (LPWF).
“We applaud New York legislative leaders and the Governor for their work to make New York a leader in upholding values of fairness and equal opportunity,” said Katharine Bodde, policy counsel at the NYCLU. “This is a victory for all New Yorkers including businesses, families and our state’s most vulnerable workers – women and low-income workers.”
“Hats off to the Governor and the legislature for creating a 12-week, job-protected leave. This is an important step forward for New York state’s families to ensure that they no longer have to choose between caring for a family member – or themselves – and a paycheck,” said Betty Holcomb, policy director, center for Children’s Initiatives. “Hats off as well to the legions of early childhood, health, labor, civil rights and women’s groups who worked so hard to make this happen– and to the clergy who activated their networks and understood this to be a moral issue as well.”
“The most important thing I can do to help my bottom line is to take care of my employees; to be sure they are able to focus on providing my customers with the best possible service. With paid family leave, they will be able to afford to take time off from work to take care of a family member and then return satisfied and once again able to provide quality service,” said Brian Barnett, owner of Ehle & Barnett Funeral Home in Johnstown, NY.
“Paid family leave will help both small businesses and their employees to live healthier, happier lives,” said Tarah Gay, owner of Outdated Café in Kingston, NY.
“I think this is great. What we have right now is just a little bit of disability for those that can qualify, which is often not enough. I think this is a great way to support employees when they need to take care of family, or have a child. Right now, we can hold peoples jobs, but certainly can’t pay them while they’re away. This would work well for co-workers, even if they’re not using the program themselves. People will feel supported and know they can take care of the things they need to take care of. They’ll have the security of knowing they have their job and knowing they are supported during their time of need,”said Pam Gueldner, owner of Mandible Café and member of SBM.
“I applaud the state legislature for passing a comprehensive paid family leave policy that does not carve-out small and micro-businesses. The carve-out would have helped big businesses gain another competitive advantage over local shops like mine. Now, employees of businesses of all sizes can rest assured knowing that an injury, illness, or family need will not be made worse by lost income and the threat of losing your job,” said Brittany Hansson, owner of Second Chances in Canajoharie, NY.
“My wife and I have had to make a series of very difficult decisions in order to provide the early care we know is critical to our children’s health and social development. I lost a job and we have sold family jewelry, a car, and stayed on the brink of poverty to provide that care. We would have avoided so much emotional and financial stress if paid family leave had been available. And we are excited to think that in the near future, other New York families won’t have to make those same choices,” said Michael Trieman, Binghamton, NY.
“As the father of a wonderful adopted son, I’m very excited for New York to move forward with this leave program. I was very jealous of my friend in California for the leave he got with his baby a couple years ago. I think this will be a great relief for a great number of parents,” said James Gibson, Clifton Park, NY.
“Paid family leave act is a victory for working families; it means time and means to care for your loved ones at the moment of need , it avoids the spiraling down into poverty especially for minority and recent immigrant families,” said Maria Revelles, Syracuse, NY.
“As a parent of adopted twins, and as an advocate for women, New York’s paid family leave program is a victory for women, children and families. It refocuses our priorities on the value of family. And it will finally begin to level the playing field for working mothers,” said Sheri Scavone, Buffalo, NY.
The New York Paid Family Leave Insurance Campaign consists of a diverse group of women’s organizations, children’s advocates, labor and public health leaders, advocates for seniors and those with chronic disease, and community and faith-based organizations. The New York Paid Family Leave Insurance Campaign’s Steering Committee consists of 1199 SEIU, 32BJ SEIU, A Better Balance, Citizen Action of New York, Community Service Society, New York Civil Liberties Union, New York Paid Leave Coalition, the NYS AFL-CIO, the Working Families Organization, and New York Statewide Senior Action.
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