Paid Leave Cafecito

Poder Latinx, Family Values @ Work, and The Black Women’s Roundtable joined forces to host a Paid Leave Cafecito (Coffee Talk) with U.S. Congressman Maxwell Frost in Orlando, Florida. The event was held at Mecatos Bakery & Cafe, a Colombian coffee shop and bakery. The staple chain in the Central Florida region was intentionally chosen to attract the Latinx and BIPOC community to meet their representative, specifically those located in Florida’s 10th Congressional district, and learn about the state of paid leave and sick days in Florida and at the federal level.

Congressman Frost spoke about his accomplishments within his first 90 days of being elected to public office. He also detailed why he is co-sponsoring legislation such as the Job Protection Act and the Caring for All Families Act.

What do these bills do?

• Job Protection Act: The Job Protection Act would improve and strengthen the Family and Medical Leave Act by reducing from 12 months to 90 days the employment period a worker must be working for the same employer before becoming eligible for job protection to take leave for family or medical emergencies. This bill also extends this protection to all employers, including those with less than 50 employees.
• Caring for All Families Act: The Caring for All Families Act would amend the Family and Medical Leave Act to permit leave to care for a domestic partner, parent-in-law, or adult child, or another related individual, who has a serious health condition, and to allow employees to take, as additional leave, parental involvement and family wellness leave to participate in or attend their children’s and grandchildren’s educational and extracurricular activities or meet family care needs.

Congressman Frost has dedicated his time in public service so far to underserved and vulnerable communities. During the Paid Leave Cafecito, Congressman Frost reiterated his dedication to fighting for a comprehensive national paid leave policy:

“There are a few issues that show the humanity of our government and the humanity of our country – gun violence being one of them. Paid leave is one of those issues because when you think about it, we are one of the only major countries in the world to not provide robust paid leave for our people. We know that paid leave is the right thing to do, it’s the moral thing to do.”

During this gathering, community members impacted by paid leave were able to share their stories. The two individuals were Rudy Camacho and Salandra Benton, both shared their personal experiences and the urgency of passing a federal paid leave program that protects and covers America’s working class. 

Rudy Camacho shared her paid leave story as a working mom of 3. As an immigrant from Venezuela, Rudy compared the stark contrast between paid leave policies in her home country and the United States. In Venezuela, pregnant mothers are given time off 2 months prior to giving birth and 8 months after. Even then, that might not be enough time for a new mom to get acclimated to her newborn’s needs, form an emotional bond with the baby, and physically and mentally recover from pregnancy. Still, this is almost light years away from what the average American worker has access to. The current FMLA policy, which has not had any significant updates since it was first passed 3 decades ago, has restricted eligible employees and situations which qualify for coverage for limited periods of time. 

Salandra Benton expressed the need to update and expand the definition of paid leave and who should qualify for it. The state of paid leave in Florida is currently less-than-ideal, but she boasted the benefit of being employed by an organization that respected family and caregiving. She was able to use her sick days to be at her son’s hospital bedside as he went through a series of medical examinations for 12 days, but this is not something that many working-class families have the luxury of doing. Salandra discussed the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic shedding a light on working-class struggles, especially in lacking health coverage, childcare, and substantive paychecks to cover everyday necessities. 

Attendees were able to discuss how paid leave has impacted them in their own lives and were encouraged to share their stories to continue bringing recognition and advocating for a paid leave policy that encompasses America’s diverse workforce.