Advocates Rally For Paid Family Leave Proposal In New York State

Main Category: Women's Health / Gynecology
Also Included In: Public Health
Article Date: 12 May 2008 - 0:00 PDT

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Advocates of a paid family leave law for New York state on Wednesday rallied at the state Capitol in Albany to pass legislation that would provide 12 weeks of paid leave for workers who are on leave to care for an infant or a sick family member, the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reports.

The state Assembly passed a paid leave bill last year, but the Republican-controlled Senate did not vote on it. The proposal would allow workers to collect up to a maximum of $170 weekly while on leave. The program would be funded through an employee-only payroll deduction of 45 cents weekly. Under the measure, paid family leave would come under the existing state Temporary Disability Insurance program.

"Too many people fear losing their jobs if they do what they need to do to take care of their family," Assembly Labor Committee Susan John (D) said, adding, "Surely, New York state can ask employers to do the right thing by their working people, whether they're male or female." Scott Reif, a spokesperson for Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno (R), said, "We believe that paid family leave is an important issue, and we will continue to hold discussions in an effort to strike the right balance among the interested parties." According to the Democrat and Chronicle, the Business Council of New York State opposes paid leave because of cost concerns for businesses (Matthews, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, 5/8).

Opinion Piece

Lawmakers in New York state need to help the state "join California, Washington state and ... New Jersey by passing legislation creating a groundbreaking paid family leave program," Linda Lisi Juergens, executive director of the National Association of Mothers' Centers, writes in a Long Island Newsday opinion piece.

A bill that would provide New York residents with paid family leave "will again come to a vote in the Assembly, and it is very likely to pass," Juergens writes. She adds, "For it to become law, however, Senate Republicans need to see the benefits of the pioneering legislation and bring the paid family leave bill to a vote." No person "should have to risk a job or financial well-being to take care of a newborn, but today, thousands of families face that exact choice," Juergens writes, concluding, "Let's hope this year Albany gives New York's women a Mother's Day gift they will remember" (Juergens, Long Island Newsday, 5/8).

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