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California Creates Family Leave Program

Similar legislation in WA has overwhelming public support

by Jamie Newman, contributor

On September 23, California became the first state in the country tocreate a paid family leave program. The California state AFL-CIOcalled the bill "the most pro-family bill to pass through theLegislature this year."

California workers will be able to take up to six weeks paid leave peryear to care for a new child (birth, adoption or foster care) orseriously ill family member (parent, child, spouse or domesticpartner). Federal law, which covers wage earners for large employers,provides only for unpaid leave.

The paid leave program is 100 percent funded by employeecontributions. California workers who currently pay into the StateDisability Insurance system will pay, on average, an additional $27per year. Starting in 2004 eligible workers will receive up to 55percent of wages, up to a maximum of $728 per week for up to sixweeks.

In 2001 and 2002, Washington legislators introduced similarlegislation mandating five weeks paid leave for Washington workers. Despite overwhelming public support for the proposal, the legislationhas yet to get out of committee.

Both Democrats and Republicans ignore family needs

According to the Washington Monthly ("Parent Gap", October 2002),"America's elected officials are all but ignoring the pressures thatface American families on a daily basis. Democratic politicalconsultant Tom Freedman says this is a sleeper issue that "bothparties ignore at their peril." Most politicians today are busycourting seniors with party platforms that address prescription drugcost. Meanwhile, they ignore married women who make up aboutone-third of the electorate. And unlike unmarried women, who aresolidly Democratic, married women are within reach of either party, aclassic "swing" voting group.

Bill Clinton's promise to enact the Family Medical Leave Act helpedcatapult him to victory in 1992. The first George Bush had twicevetoed the legislation. Still many families eligible for leave cannottake advantage of FMLA because they cannot go without pay. Legislation providing for paid leave would provide much needed relief.

Family leave benefits are good for businesses

According to a bipartisan commission, 84 percent of employersconcluded that the benefits of providing leave under the FMLA offsetor outweighed the costs. Furthermore, Americans support legislationthat provides for paid leave. According to a 1998 survey conducted bythe National Partnership for Women & Families "Eighty-two percent ofwomen and 75 percent of men favor the idea of developing a newinsurance program that would give families some income when a workertakes family or medical leave."

According to a statewide poll in 2000, seventy-three percent of votersin Washington State support the penny-per-hour tax to fund familyleave benefits. Every demographic subgroup, including men, women,parents, non-parents, Democrats, Republicans and Independents,supported the proposal. According to the Center for PolicyAlternatives, "Momentum is growing, and enactment of family leavebenefits is now just a matter of time."