Paid Family & Medical Leave
Paid family and medical leave combats poverty, gives children a healthy start, and lowers the wage gap between women and men by providing structural support to balance work and family.Know the Facts
- Right now only 13 (!!!) percent of Americans have access to paid family leave through their employer and only 37% have personal medical leave provided through an employer.
- Although the current Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) allows some employees to take up to 12 weeks of job-protected leave, it only covers about 60 percent of employees.
- A quarter of all poverty spells in the United States are because of having a baby.
- The U.S is one of the only countries in the world that doesn't offer paid leave to new mothers.
- Paid family leave has been shown to reduce infant mortality by as much as 20% (and the U.S. ranks a low 37th of all countries in infant mortality).
- Paid leave improves worker retention, which saves employers money through reduced turnover cost.
What You Can Do
Blog posts
![[Image description: graphic with a woman with brown skin with arm flexed as Rosie the Riveter. Text: “It’s Labor Day! Excited about the powerful wins for WA working moms and women? Minimum wage. Equal Pay. Sick and Safe Leave. Paid Family & Medical Leave]](https://www.momsrising.org/sites/default/files/styles/retina_quality/public/Labor%20Day%20Graphic%20FB.jpg?itok=cph-iShn "Today, join MomsRising in thanking the labor movement by sharing on social media why strong unions are important to you.")
Take Action
Working people in the United States need a national comprehensive and robust paid family and medical leave program that is more than just maternity and paternity leave and that does not threaten retirement income.
Act now! Urge your NJ lawmaker to support the paid family leave expansion bill!
Can you believe that in the United States only 15% of workers have access to paid family and medical leave?
The Oregon legislature adjourned the 2018 legislative session without taking action to pass paid family and medical leave. Contact your state lawmakers and urge them to make paid leave a top priority in the 2019 session.