The Family Values @ Work National Paid Leave Rally pulled out all of the stops last week to ensure that the nation understands the pivotal moment we are in. With several comprehensive paid leave proposals being discussed right now, from the White House and Congress, we are close to finally joining the rest of the world in instituting a national paid leave standard. But what we do in the next few months will determine whether we have a policy for all or one for just the very few.
Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), Chair of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, shared the two times she needed paid leave in her career: once for her own cancer treatment more than 30 years ago, and, more recently, to be with her 103-year-old mother during the final weeks of her life. “If it’s good enough for the Members of Congress, then it’s good enough for the American people.” She continued, “We’re demanding paid leave because this is a matter of right and wrong and we’re all diminished when we fall short.”
Rep. DeLauro’s story shows how important a comprehensive policy that covers both our own health needs and those of our loved ones is. We also need to make sure that a national paid leave policy offers adequate time, wage replacement that allows the lowest-paid workers to take leave, and job protection, and covers all families.
Our movement has made great strides since 2013, when Rep. DeLauro and Senator Gillibrand (D-NY) first introduced the Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMILY) Act, the initial comprehensive proposal for 12 weeks of paid leave to welcome a new child or provide family or medical care. During the rally, Sen. Gillibrand said she “was thrilled to see [President Biden] not only included paid leave in his American Families Plan, but his proposal is modeled after our plan, the FAMILY Act.”
The National Paid Leave Rally was powered by the paid leave stories of worker-activists across the country. These stories are vital to understanding why a comprehensive plan must include everyone, and ensure people can take leave without fear of being fired. The audience heard from activists in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, and Oregon, and also watched the premiere of short video starring Voices of Workers (VOW) of Paid Leave for All Campaign.
Representatives Danny Davis (IL-07), Katherine Clark (MA-05), Jimmy Gomez (CA-34), Katie Porter (CA-45), Jamaal Bowman (NY-16), and Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) all sent virtual greetings. They told their own paid leave stories, discussed the impact of the pandemic on those lacking leave, and raised the moral obligation that they all have to families, communities, and our economy.
The rally wrapped up with the FV@W theme song, written by our very own Ellen Bravo, “Paid Leave for All!” Do watch it, share the videos, and join the fight for paid leave. As Rep. Bowman said in his closing remarks, “We must have paid family and medical leave as part of the rebirth of our country.
