[Date]
Legislator
New York State XXXXX
ADDRESS
Albany, NY XXXXX
Via Facsimile XXX-XXX-XXXX
PAID FAMILY LEAVE LEGISLATION
Dear [Legislator]:
We respectfully urge the xxxxx to pass Paid Family Leave legislation in New York State.
Over fifty million Americans have been able to take up to 12 weeks of job-protected leave since 1993, when the federal Family and Medical Leave Act was signed into law. This policy has been used to care for new babies, sick family members and for individuals to recover from their own serious illnesses. But FMLA provides only unpaid leave, which means too many people still can’t afford to take time off to deal with urgent family needs. For many working people taking unpaid time off is virtually impossible, no matter how serious the situation. Staying home for a limited period with a new baby or a very sick relative should not be a luxury only some people can afford.
This important initiative would expand New York’s existing Temporary Disability Insurance program to cover a worker who needs time off to care for a newborn or newly adopted child, or a seriously ill family member. Workers would receive up to 12 weeks of benefits, funded through a modest increase in premiums paid within the existing TDI program.
This is a very affordable benefit. According to studies and to the governor’s estimates, the estimated cost of this addition to the current temporary disability insurance is just pennies per week or $18.42 per worker annually at the current benefit rate of $170 per week.
Making it possible for working people to stay home during these crucial times makes sense for all of us. Paid Family Leave would make it economically feasible for workers to take time off, allow employers to retain valuable workers and give workers the time to attend to issues early on so that those issues don’t turn into a family catastrophe later.
The United States is alone amongst wealthy industrial nations – and in fact one of only four countries in the world along with Liberia, Swaziland and Papua New Guinea – that does not already provide such paid leave. It's time for New York to follow California and Washington’s lead and adapt to reality of the changing demographics of the American workforce.
