Ask Congress to support the FAMILY Act!

This year, there’s a real prospect that Congress will take up the federal paid leave bill - the Family and Medical Insurance Leave Act (FAMILY Act). FAMILY is expected to be introduced in February, and to bolster its chances, we’re trying to get as many sponsors as possible by the introduction date. We need your help to reach Congress.

We need the FAMILY Act because we need a program that reaches all of us. Newborn or newly adopted children need time to bond with their parents, but those who aren't parents still have parents or partners or other loved ones who occasionally need care. At some point, each of us will likely require time to heal. And those who deploy to the military may need help meeting their family responsibilities. The FAMILY Act covers all these situations. We know that members will be offering some amendments to make it even more effective in reaching those who have the least access to paid leave.

It has been truly amazing to stand with you over the years in our collective fight for working families in Pennsylvania. Let's continue working to make paid family leave a reality.

Take Action:

• Call Congress at 202-224-3121 and enter your zipcode to be connected to your Representative.
• Here's a sample message: "Hi, my  name is _______, and I live in the Congressperson's district. I am calling to ask Representative ___________ to cosponsor the FAMILY Act, which lets everyone earn paid family leave at work to care for themselves of a loved one."
• Additional talking points:
• Across our nation, there's one thing families, voters, political leaders and candidates of all stripes agree on: the United States needs paid leave. It's about time we make sure everyone, regardless of where they live or what kind of job they do, can be there for family. 
• We need a program that reaches all of us. Newborn or newly adopted children need time to bond with their parents. Even those who aren't parents have parents or partners or other loved ones who occasionally need care. At some point, each of us will likely require time to heal. And those who deploy to the military may need help meeting their family responsibilities.
• FAMILY draws on the successful programs that already exist in multiple states. It speaks to the need of individuals and families for time to care. It will help businesses, especially small ones, keep people employed and cut down on costs for hiring and training new employees.
• The FAMILY Act will benefit our entire nation by making families stronger and more secure. Paid leave is critical to the success of a strong health care system, so people can take the time they need for treatment. It's a vital piece of the infrastructure needed for all of us to succeed.
• Right now only 17% of private sector workers get paid leave through an employer. This reality hurts families, hurts public health and hurts business viability. Many small employers would love to offer paid leave but can't afford to do so on their own - that's why the majority of small businesses surveyed support the FAMILY Act.

Why Paid Family and Medical Leave is a Growing Priority for Small Business

Register here!

Small business owners spend their days concentrating on their particular specialties, but there's one thing they have in common: they all have to contend with a host of similar workforce issues. One topic making big news lately is paid family and medical leave. This event will include a panel of local business leaders to discuss specific policy proposals under consideration at the national level and how they will impact small businesses. We also will hear stories from local small employers who support these policies.

Winnie Stachelberg, Vice President Center for American Progress (Moderator)
Ken Weinstein, Owner Trolley Car Diner
Mercy Mosquera, Owner Tierra Colombiana
Joseph Gidjunis, Owner of JPG Photography
Marianne Bellesorte, Vice President of Advocacy,
PathWays PA

A question and answer period will follow the discussion.

Register here!

Jessica's Story - Why We Need Paid Family Leave

In August 2013, I found a lump in my breast. It came out of nowhere. I have no family history, I don’t have the BRCA gene. But, at age 29, I had an eight month old baby - and stage II breast cancer.

Over the next six months, I took FMLA and (unpaid) administrative leave from my work so I could juggle treatment and motherhood. After six rounds of chemo, a bilateral mastectomy, and 6 weeks of radiation treatment, I returned to work – only to learn three months later that the cancer had spread to my bones. My company said I needed to wait at least another three months to be able to use FMLA again, but that was time I didn’t have. After going back on administrative leave, I was later forced to terminate my employment.

I’m coming up now on my two years since my second diagnosis. My cancer has stayed in my bones, which is good, but with Stage IV cancer, treatment is always changing. I’m at the hospital for chemo every three weeks, plus scans, plus doctor’s appointments – it’s been impossible to go back to work. I get Social Security, but it is not nearly what I was making before. My husband works, but living on one income is almost impossible in this country. And he doesn’t get any paid sick days, so it’s very hard for him to take time to help me when I am sick.

Being younger and having this happen to you – we never had a chance to build up a savings account or 401K. We were planning to buy a house, and we had to use all those savings for medical bills. Sometimes it feels like we are totally scrambling and losing everything because of something I couldn’t control.

It would have meant everything to have paid family leave, or for my husband to have it now. We wouldn’t have to worry so much about cutting things for our daughter. Eloise is 3, but she can’t go to preschool because we have to pay medical bills. If my job had paid family leave, maybe I wouldn’t have had to choose between treatment and my job. I wanted to find a way to continue to work. Even if I had paid family leave just that first time I was diagnosed, maybe we would have had enough money to buy a house. We could have had child care. Our savings could still be intact.

People ask me all the time “Well, don’t you have insurance?” They don’t realize that you’re still paying out of pocket for lots of tests, lots of treatment, and a lot of your time is spent out of work and in doctor’s offices. Insurance is great, but it can only take you so far. I want to work, not to be on disability. I want to have the option of maintaining a normal life while living with chronic – yes, eventually it will be terminal, but so far it’s been chronic – illness. I would love to continue to work because my family would be in a much different financial situation and I had a really good job.

I just don’t you think you should have to go bankrupt because you’re sick.

Labor Day News: Paid Sick Days For Federal Contractors!

As workers across the country celebrated Labor Day yesterday, President Obama issued a new executive order to add even more joy to the festivities. Under his instructions, more than 300,000 federal contractors who do not currently have paid sick days will be able to earn sick time to care for themselves and their family members. You can see more about the executive order at https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/09/07/fact-sheet-helping-middle-class-families-get-ahead-expanding-paid-sick.

But that's not all! In addition to the release of a new report, The Cost of Doing Nothing, President Obama also called on Congress to pass the Healthy Families Act and the FAMILY Act, which would let workers earn paid sick days and paid family leave.

If you support these measures, you can contact your members of Congress and let them know! MomsRising has letters for the FAMILY Act and the Healthy Families Act. You can also use http://www.wetweet.org/ to tweet to legislators and those running for office about the issues that matter most to you!

A Dad's Paid Leave Story

Jason's twin children were born at 28 weeks — and as a result, spent 69 days in neonatal intensive care. Thanks to New Jersey's paid family leave law, Jason and his wife Christie were able to take needed time off to care for their children. But for millions of parents, paid family leave is not an option. The FAMILY Act would change that. Find out more -- and get involved -- at www.familyvaluesatwork.org. And donate to support the many local organizations that work to bring new options to families throughout the country at https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/familyvaluesatwork.