FV@W Celebrates Expanded Paid Leave Benefits in D.C.

(WASHINGTON, DC)––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, FV@W released the following statement celebrating the expansion of paid leave benefits in the District of Columbia:

The Family Values @ Work Network is thrilled to join with the DC Paid Leave Campaign celebrating the expansion of paid leave policy in the District. Beginning July 1, DC workers will have up to 12 weeks of paid leave for parental, medical, and family caregiving needs and up to 2 weeks for pre-natal leave. We commend our District of Columbia partners––Jews United For Justice (JUFJ), DC Jobs With Justice (DC JWJ), and Many Languages One Voice (MLOV)––for their unyielding commitment and leadership.

“No one should have to lose their job or income in order to care for themselves or the people they love. This expansion of the DC Paid Family Leave program represents a concrete step towards addressing longstanding racial, economic, and health disparities that have only been exacerbated by the pandemic. We are deeply gratified by this announcement today,” the campaign wrote. Read the campaign’s full statement.

The paid leave expansion is possible due to a budget surplus. Not only was there enough money in the District’s Universal Paid Leave Fund to offer the maximum level of benefits, but there was also enough to lower the employer contribution rate to 0.26 percent. The people power built by DC-grassroots organizations maximized this opportunity to reinvest surplus dollars into the needs of working families and caregivers.

“The expansion of paid leave in DC is a win not just for the working families of DC, but also for the paid leave movement as a whole,” said Josephine Kalipeni, executive director of Family Values @ Work. “For nearly 20 years, we’ve worked alongside our partners across the nation to secure paid leave programs that will offer 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave, the gold standard. The impact of this win goes beyond DC. While many people live in DC, many more people work and live in surrounding states that do not have paid family and medical leave policies.”

DC is proving that states can make progress for their workers where Congress won’t. DC also proves that states will continue to be the models and proof points for what we need from the federal government. Twelve weeks of paid leave for all workers and all reasons is the baseline and begins to recognize the need to support working families and caregivers, especially working women.

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