Paid Family Leave

You shouldn’t have to choose between your job and taking care of your family. And we are happy to report that in New York State you won’t have to.

• The passage of 12 weeks of paid family leave is a momentous victory for New York’s families.
• NYS  now leads the nation in ensuring that working families have access to this essential and long-overdue benefit.
• We thank Governor Cuomo for his leadership, as well as our sponsors, Assemblymember Nolan and Senator Addabbo, and supporters in the Assembly and Senate, including Senator Klein, for years of dedication to passing paid family leave.
• And we applaud the thousands of parents, caregivers, business owners, advocates, healthcare professionals, and everyday New Yorkers who raised their voices for paid family leave and made this legislation possible.
• The New York Paid Family Leave Insurance Campaign, made up of almost 300 organizations and businesses, carrying the voices of tens of thousands of New Yorkers across the state, has been lead by a steering committee consisting of 1199 SEIU, 32BJ SEIU, A Better Balance, Citizen Action of New York, Community Service Society, New York Civil Liberties Union, New York Paid Leave Coalition, the NYS AFL-CIO, the Working Families Organization, and the NY Statewide Senior Action Council.
• We’ve been able to win several critical elements of a strong paid family leave program including:
  • 12 weeks of leave that is phased in over four years to care for a new child or seriously ill loved one.
  • A benefit level that starts at 50% of a worker’s own weekly wage up to a maximum benefit of 50% of the statewide average weekly wage in year 1. Both of these phase up in steps each year reaching 67% of a worker’s own wage, and 67% of the statewide average weekly wage in year 4.
  • Job protection so New York’s workers have the peace of mind that when they return from leave for critical life moments, they know they have a job to come back to.
  • Coverage for all 6.4 million private sector workers in New York who currently lack access to paid family leave. Public sector unions can opt their members in.

• New York now joins the growing chorus of states with paid family leave including California, New Jersey, and Rhode Island, along with a national movement calling for paid family leave around the country.
• Paid family leave is an insurance program with premiums of about a dollar per week paid for entirely by employee contributions. This means zero out-of-pocket costs to employers, and because employers aren’t paying the employee on leave’s wages, employers can use that money, if necessary, to pay for any temporary replacement costs or overtime.

• New Yorkers will no longer have to choose between paying the bills and caring for a new child or seriously ill family member.

1. Only 13 percent of workers in the United States have access to paid family leave through their employers. (National Partnership for Women and Families)
2. California, Rhode Island, Washington, and New Jersey– and the District of Columbia- have laws that provide paid family leave for employees who need time off to care for sick or disabled family members or a new child. (A Better Balance)
3. 169 out of 173 countries offer paid leave for new mothers, and 98 of those countries offer at least 14 weeks of paid leave. The United States is one of the four countries that does not guarantee any paid time off, along with Liberia, Papua, New Guinea, and Swaziland. (AAUW)
4. Having a baby is a leading cause of “poverty spells” in the U.S. — when income dips below what’s needed for basic living expenses. (Moms Rising)
5. 120,000 women gave birth in New York City in 2013. Most (57.5 percent) were employed during their pregnancies, and of those who were working over half (52.1 percent) were back on the job within months and another 18 percent said they would be returning to work. (Community Service Society)
6. Care for elderly relatives is an increasingly prevalent responsibility for working people. According to a recent national survey, 21% of the adult working population regularly provides care to another adult. (Time to Care/ Paid Family Leave Insurance Campaign)
7. Paid time off can help employers too, by reducing costly turnover. For example, parents of newborns or newly adopted children who are able to take time off to care for their infants are more likely to return to their initial employer. (Time to Care/ Paid Family Leave Insurance Campaign
8. Under the proposed Paid Family Leave Insurance Act first year benefits are equal to two-thirds of a worker’s wage capped at a maximum of 35% of the statewide average weekly wage. The next year the cap increases to 40% of the statewide average weekly wage, then to 45% in the third year, and to 50% in year four. The 2013 statewide average weekly wage was $1,212.98. (Time to Care/ Paid Family Leave Insurance Campaign)

Above provided by PowHer, a Better Balance and Moms Rising.