Senate Finance Committee Holding Its First-Ever Hearing on Paid Leave

We commend Chair Wyden and the Senate Finance Committee for holding their first-ever hearing on paid leave at such a critical point for our nation. The timing is apt: since childcare investments expired in September, parents could use a national paid leave policy now as they face the impossible choice between their jobs and taking care of their children. The steadfast work over two decades of Family Values @ Work’s Network has led to this moment, and partners like Family Forward Oregon, whose coalition member Ben Verhoeven participated as a witness.

Family Values @ Work, and our Network of state coalitions, knows too well the consequences of not prioritizing paid leave. Lack of paid leave means that food service people work sick. It means that mothers and Black women leave their jobs because, as heads of households and primary caregivers, there is no work-life balance. It means an illness and caregiving demands can financially destabilize families.

This is a pivotal point for our country. We saw the federal government move quickly to enact temporary paid leave during the pandemic. We are overdue for a permanent program that works for all workers. Care is everyone’s responsibility, and as leaders in the movement to win a national paid leave policy, Family Values @ Work continues to organize, train, and advocate with and for the communities most impacted by lack of access to paid leave.

The House must follow Senator Wyden’s lead and hold its own hearing on paid leave. We are tired of legislators that promise to look out for the best interests of their constituencies, only to get into office and play politics with our futures. We must keep up the drumbeat of change if we’re going to realize racial, gender, and economic justice for all. Family Values @ Work is committed to that.

Paid leave is good for workers and employers. It is good for families and for businesses. We’re watching, we’re waiting, and we expect more than a hearing. We expect true progress in the movement for paid leave. It’s past time.