[NOW Actions] Urge Representatives to Support Paid Parental Leave

Support NOW's Work |	April 14, 2009	| Tell a Friend

Action Needed Background All NOW Actions Take Action NOW!		Paid Parental Leave -- Urge Representatives to Support This First Step As a first step toward universal paid leave, ask your representative to support upcoming legislation to guarantee federal workers four weeks of paid parental leave for a new child. Paid parental leave for the 2.7 million workers employed by the federal government will help millions of working families right now, and can be a model for achieving paid parental and family leave for the rest of our nation's workers. This essential bill will set the standard for upcoming discussions about policies intended to help families balance work and family life. This important "balancing work and family" legislation would help ensure that federal workplace benefits are competitive with the private sector. It sets an important precedent demonstrating that our country values the work that parents and caregivers provide. Action Needed: Send an email message to your representative now. We need your help to increase the number of co-sponsors in the House so that this legislation can pass in full committee and on the House floor. Take Action NOW! Background: This January, a paid leave bill was introduced in both the Senate and the House. Sen. James Webb (D-Va.) introduced S. 354 and Representative Carolyn Maloney of New York re-introduced the Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act (H.R. 626), which will guarantee four weeks of paid leave for federal workers for the birth or adoption of a child. Under the current Family and Medical Leave Act, federal employees are allowed twelve weeks of unpaid leave. So for many workers, having a child means they will either lose weeks of pay that is crucial to their family's survival or they will be forced to return to work after only a few days in order to make ends meet. The new Paid Parental Leave Act ensures that federally-employed parents can spend at least four weeks at home with a new child without suffering devastating financial consequences. On March 24, 2009, H.R. 626 was marked up by the House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, Postal Service and the District of Columbia. According to the chief sponsor, Hon. Carolyn Maloney, the Department of Labor admits that 3.5 million workers can not currently take advantage of unpaid family leave. This bill, however, takes the first step towards pushing the United States into the 21st century in terms of family policy. As more working families struggle to make ends meet during this devastating economic downturn, it is especially important to ensure that workers are not forced to choose between their paycheck and their new child. Take Action NOW! The federal government must assist working families. As the nation's largest employer, the federal government should serve as a model for family-friendly workplace policies. Passing the Paid Parental Leave Act is a critical benchmark as we work to provide paid sick, family and medical leave for all workers. Take Action NOW!
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