Family Values @ Work Celebrates NJ Expansion of Paid Leave

This afternoon the New Jersey state legislature voted to expand paid leave. Ellen Bravo and Wendy Chun-Hoon, co-directors of Family Values @ Work and leading experts on paid leave, released the following statement:

“The Family Values @ Work network is celebrating today’s vote by the New Jersey Assembly and Senate to pass S2528/A3975, which will make significant improvements in the NJ Family Leave Insurance (FLI) and Temporary Disability Insurance (TDI) programs. Governor Phil Murphy is expected to sign the bill soon.

By doubling the number of weeks for family leave, raising the percentage of wage replacement, expanding job protection and adopting an inclusive definition of family, New Jersey is ensuring the program will be more effective at reaching those who need it the most. A decade ago, New Jersey became the second state to implement paid family leave, and today became the first to recognize that families in the U.S. come in many forms, including chosen families. They are also the first to provide benefits for survivors of domestic violence or sexual assault or family members caring for someone in that situation.

Thanks to this legislation, the state will also provide $1.2m annually in additional funding for outreach and education. They will improve program efficiency by requiring shorter claims processing times and make sure the Department of Labor and Workforce Development provides relevant additional reporting of program data.

We congratulate our member coalition, NJ Time to Care, which includes more than 100 local groups, for its leadership in this work. And we applaud the NJ legislature for listening to advocates and working people.These changes are helping pave the way for a federal plan that is affordable and accessible to all.

We urge New Jersey leaders to take the next step and extend job protection to all leave-takers, regardless of the size company they work for. That will end the fear of job loss that causes people to go back too soon, forego treatment or incur debt.” 

Here is the statement from the NJ Time to Care Coalition.