Pass the New York Paid Family Leave Act!

Petition Background

Working families across New York State need the security of paid time off to care for a new child or seriously ill family member. For too many workers, the birth of a child or family health emergency creates a crisis that forces them to lose needed income or exit the workforce altogether. Low-income workers and their families are especially vulnerable because they often lack the financial resources to take any unpaid time off at all.

Paid family leave improves the health of our families. It helps workers, especially new mothers, stay in the workforce after childbirth and helps close the wage gap. And businesses benefit by having more productive workers and reduced turnover.

The federal Family and Medical Leave Act is unpaid and excludes half of all workers. The Paid Family Leave Insurance Act for New York State would provide workers with partial payment of their salary for up to 12 weeks to care for a family member, including a new child. Employers would not bear the cost of this benefit. Instead, paid family leave insurance benefits would be funded by employees through small paycheck contributions.

Working families in New York deserve better. It’s time for Governor Cuomo to follow in California’s and New Jersey’s footsteps and make paid family leave a priority now!

Learn more about A Better Balance’s efforts to advance the rights of working families at www.abetterbalance.org.

You can view the full bill here: http://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?default_fld=&bn=A06289&term=2011&Summary=Y&Actions=Y&Votes=Y&Memo=Y&Text=Y