Family Values @ Work Statement on Impact of Biden-Harris Election on the Care Agenda

Family Values @ Work is a movement network of grassroots coalitions in more than two dozen states working to win paid family and medical leave, earned sick and safe days, and affordable, high-quality childcare at the state and national levels. Today, Wendy Chun-Hoon, executive director of Family Values @ Work, released the following statement on the 2020 presidential election:

Family Values @ Work is excited to work with a new administration to propel the care agenda our network has been advancing for 17 years. The election of Joe Biden, someone who knows from painful personal experience the importance of caregiving, and who together with Kamala Harris elevated leave policies in the campaign, should open new doors to policy solutions that working families urgently need.

President-Elect Biden will inherit multiple crises, including the pandemic’s health and economic consequences, systemic racism, and ongoing economic inequality. We urge the Biden-Harris administration to prioritize building a new economy founded on an infrastructure of caring, equity, and respect. As the composition of the 117th Congress is finalized, the Biden-Harris administration should demonstrate immediate leadership in the national care movement by working with champions in Congress to:

• Close all loopholes in the emergency paid leave provisions outlined in the FFCRA and extend the sunset through the end of the pandemic.  
• Create a permanent federal, paid family and medical leave program, one that is inclusive, comprehensive, and includes all types of families;
• Establish a federal paid sick days policy that includes all workers; and
• Implement broad and significant pandemic relief for the child care sector. 

The experiences of FV@W’s member states provide powerful models for federal programs that can help America “build back better.” The paid leave and paid sick and safe days policies won by our state groups — including the paid leave ballot initiative just won in Colorado — support families in securing their economic future, protect public health, and contribute to an economy built on caring, equity, and respect. Studies show they also help mitigate the reach and impact of the pandemic. The experiences of worker activists among us hold our network accountable so that policies we win are accessible and impactful. This is the model of inclusive policy making we hope the new administration will adopt.

We are optimistic about the future of our movement. We celebrate the phenomenal voter engagement done by so many organizations, especially the work of Black women, and the election of the nation’s first woman of color as vice president. Our network will continue to cultivate the state- and federal-level champions we need to impact widespread social change and ensure successful implementation of the policies we have already won at the state and local level. With new leadership in the White House, our network stands ready to help build the economy we all need and deserve.

Photo: Brian Cahn/ZUMA Wire