By: Marianne Bellesorte
We live in a country where heartbreak surrounds us: the loss of over 1 million lives to COVID-19, the desolating toll of gun violence on our communities and our children, the restriction of our bodily autonomy. Each day brings fresh grief.
As we process this grief and loss, we can also look for places to find hope. This week, we’re looking at the positive changes that we’ve made. For the sixth year in a row, Family Values @ Work and our partners are taking a day to showcase and celebrate the laws that protect workers and their families by ensuring they have paid sick and safe days and paid family and medical leave.
Getting these laws on the books was the result of thousands of people coming together in communities across the country to demand access to the time they need to care for themselves and others. For more than 19 years, Family Values @ Work’s member coalitions and partners have secured over 54 permanent paid sick days laws and 12 paid family and medical leave programs, including the most recent wins in Maryland and Delaware. More than 57 million workers now have time to care.
During the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve seen some action at the federal level but even more in the states. By our count, so far, 45 new paid sick days laws passed during the pandemic — some that were temporary and focused only on COVID-19, and others that recognized the need for caregiving at all times. Nearly 30 cities and states have updated their existing laws to better meet the needs exacerbated by the pandemic. These laws saved lives and ensured that millions of workers had the right to rest, heal, and take care of themselves and their loved ones.
Whether we’re grieving our losses or celebrating our wins, the next step to growing more hope is to act. The Family Values @ Work network has fought, time and time again, to create a world that values our lives and our families, and we’ll continue to do so. Today we focus on the wins, and how they can help people and families devastated by recent events and by a history of oppression. Today, tomorrow, and every day, we’ll also work to cover more people and to provide more time to care so that everyone can thrive.
