The New York Paid Leave Coalition celebrated a victory in 2013 and saw that win expanded in February 2014 when the City Council passed a paid sick day standard to cover most of the 1.3 million NYC workers who risked losing their job or a day’s pay if they stayed home when they or their child becomes ill. The coalition includes advocates working on behalf of women, children, the aged, labor, business, low-wage workers, restaurant workers, immigrants, public health advocates, doctors and nurses. Starting in 2009, the Coalition organized multiple actions, including themed press conferences, a march from Brooklyn to City Hall, a subway poster campaign, polling, door-knocking in the Speaker’s district, studies, petitions, constituent group sign-on letters, email and social-media campaigns which resulted in a veto-proof majority of City Council co-sponsors. Although Speaker Christine Quinn prevented a floor vote for several years, the Coalition strengthened support for the bill within the faith, LGBT and labor communities, drew increased business backing, and highly visible support from prominent women leaders. This led to Speaker Quinn agreeing to a modified version of the bill which passed in May 2013. The following month, an overwhelming majority of Council members overturned a veto by then-Mayor Bloomberg.
The New York Paid Leave Coalition, A Better Balance, the ACLU, New York state AFL-CIO and a wide array of partners have also worked hard in recent years to build support for a paid family leave insurance bill that would expand the temporary disability insurance program to include family leave. They also seek to increase the rate of TDI in steps over a number of years.
A Better Balance – Park Slope Parents Speak Out from Letitia Productions on Vimeo.
