FAMILY Act Coalition Letter

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Dear Member of Congress, On behalf of the 201 undersigned organizations and the tens of millions of working families we represent, we urge you to become a co-sponsor of the Family and Medical Insurance Leave Act of 2013 (FAMILY Act), S. ___/H.R. ___. The FAMILY Act, legislation that would create a national family and medical leave insurance program, epitomizes our nation’s commitment to the fundamental well-being of its people, especially women, children and seniors. Such a program has the support of three-quarters of voters – with majority support or more across demographic, partisan and regional lines1 – because Americans know that a national paid leave program would strengthen the workforce, families, businesses and our economy. The FAMILY Act would create a paid family and medical leave insurance program. Employees would earn a portion of their wages for a limited period of time (up to 60 workdays, or 12 workweeks in a year) to address their own serious health issue, including pregnancy or childbirth; to deal with the serious health issue of a parent, spouse, domestic partner or child; to care for a new child; and/or for specific military caregiving and leave purposes. Employees and employers would contribute a small amount in each paycheck to a self-sustaining fund, administered through a new Office of Paid Family and Medical Leave. Fund contributions would cover both benefits and administrative costs. Eligibility rules would allow younger, part-time, low-wage and contingent workers to contribute and benefit, regardless of their employer’s size or their length of time on the job. Many employer and public workplace policies are currently not meeting the basic health and economic needs of workers and their families. Only 11 percent of private sector workers in the United States have access to paid family leave through their employers, and less than 40 percent have access to personal medical leave through employer-provided temporary disability insurance.2 Just 50 percent of new mothers take even a few paid days away from their jobs to care for a new child.3 And lower-wage workers and workers of color are even less likely to have basic access to paid leave,4 yet they are often most in need of financial resources when a family or medical need arises. The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) has been a tremendous help to families, but too many people today cannot afford to take unpaid leave. The most common reason cited by those who are eligible for FMLA leave but do not take it is that they cannot afford to do so. Nearly three-quarters (74 percent) of people who are employed say that they or their families would be likely to face significant financial hardship if a serious personal or family illness occurred or a new child was born or adopted.5 Many others cut their leave time short, dip into savings or go into debt in order to take the time they need to care for their loved ones or their own health.6 The American people want to have strong families, to be good parents, and to have a job and succeed at it, but they are too often forced to choose one of these priorities over another – and that weakens the entire country. We can do better, and we can be stronger. The FAMILY Act will mean a stronger workforce. Many women and men today are both breadwinners and caregivers, and paid time off for family and medical purposes helps

workers –particularly women – stay and succeed in their jobs and earn higher wages over time. Most women work prior to and after the birth of their first child; most families with children have all adults in the workforce; and most women and men who provide care to an ill family member also hold paying jobs.7 People are working longer and retiring later, meaning older workers with health needs are increasingly part of the workforce.8 In addition, employees are increasingly working part-time or on a contingent basis, diminishing their access to paid time off when family and medical needs arise.9 The FAMILY Act would create a national labor standard that recognizes these fundamental changes in the way people live and work. The FAMILY Act will help to bring the United States in line with the rest of the world. The United States is one of just eight countries in the world that do not guarantee paid maternity leave to new mothers,10 one of five highly competitive countries that do not guarantee paid parental leave to new fathers,11 and the only highly competitive country that does not guarantee paid medical leave for serious illness.12 The FAMILY Act will strengthen the economic security of working people and their families. Paid leave provides income stability for working people and families at critical moments in their lives. Having a baby is the most expensive health event that families face during their childbearing years,13 and a new child’s entry into a household is a leading trigger for a family’s entry into poverty.14 Paid leave also promotes financial independence, especially for growing families. In the year following a birth, new mothers who take paid leave are 54 percent more likely to report wage increases and 39 percent less likely to need public assistance than mothers who do not, taking other related socioeconomic factors into account; fathers who take paid parental leave are also less likely to need public assistance in the year following a child’s birth.15 The FAMILY Act will mean stronger, improved health outcomes for all. Paid leave contributes to improved newborn and child health. New mothers who take paid leave are more likely to take the amount of time recommended by doctors,16 and their children are more likely to be breastfed, receive medical check-ups and get critical immunizations.17 An additional 10 weeks of paid leave for new parents, on average, reduces post-neonatal mortality by up to 4.5 percent.18 Children with illnesses also recover faster when cared for by their parents. The presence of a parent shortens a child’s hospital stay by 31 percent.19 And active parental involvement in a child’s hospital care may head off future health care needs and costs, which is particularly true for children with chronic health conditions.20 Paid leave also allows ill or injured adults to get critical care and needed recovery time. And it enables people to help their loved ones, including older family members with health problems, recover from illness, fulfill treatment plans, and avoid complications and hospital readmissions,21 which reduces health costs. Currently, 48 percent of family caregivers who have to take time off to meet their care responsibilities lose income when they do so.22 The FAMILY Act will mean stronger businesses. A majority of employers say they support paid family and medical leave insurance because it gives employees the financial security they need, without harming business.23 Paid leave keeps people in their jobs and spending money in their communities while also reducing turnover costs and increasing employee

loyalty. Companies typically pay about one-fifth of an employee’s salary to replace that employee.24 But new mothers who take paid leave are more likely than mothers who do not to be working nine to 12 months after giving birth.25 And in California, one of the three states where a successful family leave insurance program exists, workers in low-wage, high-turnover industries are much more likely to return to their jobs after using the state’s program.26 Paid leave also leads to cost savings for high-road employers who already provide paid time off because their policies can be coordinated with the federal program. In California, 60 percent of businesses surveyed reported coordinating their benefits with the state program, likely reducing their out-of-pocket costs.27 Creating a national standard would also level the playing field for those businesses that want to provide paid leave but currently cannot afford to do so. The FAMILY Act will mean a more secure retirement for all and a stronger Social Security system. Paid leave safeguards the income and retirement security of workers while complementing our nation’s well-established Social Security system. Social insurance has a long record of success in the United States, lifting millions of children and elders out of poverty. The FAMILY Act builds on that success. On average, a worker who is 50 years of age or older who leaves the workforce to take care of a parent will lose more than $300,000 in wages and retirement income.28 By keeping new parents, ill workers and family caregivers attached to the workforce, a national paid family and medical leave insurance program would keep people paying taxes, which would help correct projected Social Security shortfalls down the road. In addition, the paid leave fund would be entirely separate from the Social Security Trust Fund and Social Security Disability Insurance. The funding would be used to administer the program and provide benefits. The program would build on Social Security’s existing benefits determination and payment infrastructure, and any additional demands on the system would be covered through new revenue. The FAMILY Act will mean a stronger economy. The benefits of establishing a national paid family and medical leave insurance program for our workforce, families’ economic security, businesses and the nation’s retirement system will all contribute to a healthier, more stable economy for all. When people have to miss a paycheck or lose a job because a serious medical or caregiving need arises, they often jeopardize their ability to provide for their families and struggle to afford even the most basic necessities. This hurts workers, their families, and the businesses that depend on revenue from these purchases, and it stifles the growth of our economy. We know paid leave insurance programs like this work – but people should have access to affordable family and medical leaves no matter where they live. The FAMILY Act builds on state family and medical leave insurance programs, which have a strong record of success. Personal medical leave through state temporary disability insurance programs has been working well for many decades in California, Hawaii, New Jersey, New York, Rhode

Island and Puerto Rico. Family leave insurance programs have existed in California since 2004 and New Jersey since 2009. Rhode Island passed a family leave insurance program in 2013 that will be implemented in 2014. Analyses of California’s law show that both employers and employees benefit from the program.29 In New Jersey, the program costs are even lower than expected, leading to a payroll tax cut.30 More state progress is on the horizon but a national standard is both necessary and more efficient. It is well past time for a stronger America that meets our nation’s needs, lives up to the values we all share, and truly honors America’s families. The American people know that there is nothing more important than being able to care for family – whether you have an ill parent or loved one or a new baby on the way. That is why we need a law that guarantees that people can care for themselves and their loved ones while still making ends meet and contributing to the economy. The FAMILY Act is that law. We urge you to sponsor this critically important legislation today. Sincerely, National Partnership for Women and Families Center for American Progress Action Fund 9to5 A Better Balance Alliance for Children and Families American College of Nurse-Midwives American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations American Association of University Women American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Association of Flight Attendants – Communications Workers of America Association of Reproductive Health Professionals Business and Professional Women's Foundation Black Women’s Roundtable, National Coalition on Black Civic Participation Campaign for Community Change Caring Across Generations Caring Economy Campaign, Center for Partnership Studies Catalyst Center for Law and Social Policy Center for Women Policy Studies Coalition of Labor Union Women Coalition on Human Needs Community Action Partnership Communications Workers of America DC Jobs Council Demos Direct Care Alliance Family Equality Council Family Values @ Work Coalition Feminist Majority Food Chain Workers Alliance Girls, Inc.

Hadassah, The Women's Zionist Organization of America, Inc. Half in Ten Human Rights Campaign Human Rights Watch International Brotherhood of Teamsters Jobs with Justice Labor Project for Working Families Leadership Center for the Common Good Legal Momentum MomsRising National Association for the Advancement of Colored People National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd National Alliance for Caregiving National Association of Mothers' Centers National Consumers League National Council of Jewish Women National Council of Women’s Organizations National Employment Law Project National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Action Fund National Hispanic Council on Aging National Research Center for Women and Families National Respite Coalition National Women’s Health Network National Women’s Law Center NETWORK, A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby OWL – The Voice of Midlife and Older Women Partnership for Working Families PHI – Quality Care through Quality Jobs Progressive States Network Restaurant Opportunities Center United Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights United Food and Commercial Workers, International United States Breastfeeding Committee USAction Voter Participation Center Women Employed Women’s Voices Women Vote Action Fund YWCA USA ZERO TO THREE: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families ARIZONA Nuts On Nutrition ROC Supporting the Transformation of America’s Restaurants (ROC STARS) of Phoenix CALIFORNIA 9to5 California BreastfeedLA

California Breastfeeding Coalition Equal Rights Advocates Legal Aid Society—Employment Law Center Restaurant Opportunities Center Bay Area Restaurant Opportunities Center Los Angeles United Food and Commercial Workers Local 5 COLORADO 9to5 Colorado 13th Moon Midwifery Boulder County Breastfeeding Coalition Colorado Breastfeeding Coalition Colorado Fiscal Institute Colorado Organization for Latina and Reproductive Rights (COLOR) Colorado Progressive Coalition Denver Health Medical Center Gate City Moving Mesa County Health Department ROC Supporting the Transformation of America’s Restaurants (ROC STARS) of Denver CONNECTICUT Connecticut Breastfeeding Coalition Connecticut Permanent Commission on the Status of Women DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA District of Columbia Breastfeeding Coalition District of Columbia Chapter, National Organization for Women Restaurant Opportunities Center Washington, D.C. FLORIDA Central Florida Jobs with Justice Farmworker Association of Florida Institute for Science and Human Values, Inc. Palm Beach County Chapter, National Organization for Women Restaurant Opportunities Center Miami Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Florida GEORGIA 9to5 Atlanta Georgia Women for a Change ROC Supporting the Transformation of America’s Restaurants (ROC STARS) of Atlanta HAWAII Breastfeeding Hawaii Coalition Domestic Violence Action Center Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Coalition of Hawaii Share the Care, Kauai YWCA of Kauai

YWCA of Oahu ILLINOIS AIDS Foundation of Chicago Arise Chicago Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Inc. EverThrive Illinois Federation of College Clerical and Technical Personnel, Local 1708, AFT, IFT, AFL-CIO HIV Prevention Justice Alliance Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health Project IRENE Restaurant Opportunities Center Chicago INDIANA ROC Supporting the Transformation of America’s Restaurants (ROC STARS) of Indianapolis IOWA ROC Supporting the Transformation of America’s Restaurants (ROC STARS) of Iowa LOUISIANA Restaurant Opportunities Center New Orleans MAINE Maine Women’s Lobby MARYLAND Job Opportunities Task Force Public Justice Center ROC Supporting the Transformation of America’s Restaurants (ROC STARS) of Baltimore MASSACHUSETTS Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action Massachusetts Paid Leave Coalition Promise the Children ROC Supporting the Transformation of America’s Restaurants (ROC STARS) of Boston MICHIGAN Michigan Breastfeeding Network Michigan League for Public Policy Mothering Justice Restaurant Opportunities Center Michigan MINNESOTA ROC Supporting the Transformation of America’s Restaurants (ROC STARS) of Indianapolis MISSOURI ROC Supporting the Transformation of America’s Restaurants (ROC STARS) of Kansas City ROC Supporting the Transformation of America’s Restaurants (ROC STARS) of St. Louis

MONTANA The Arc Montana NEBRASKA ROC Supporting the Transformation of America’s Restaurants (ROC STARS) of Omaha NEW HAMPSHIRE New Hampshire Breastfeeding Task Force NEW JERSEY American Federation of Teachers New Jersey AMThomas & Associates, LLC Family Voices New Jersey La Casa de Don Pedro Laundry Workers Center New Jersey Administrative Legislative Council 1, American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees New Jersey Chapter, National Organization of Women New Jersey Citizen Action New Jersey Policy Perspective New Jersey State Conference of the NAACP New Jersey State Industrial Union Council New Jersey State Policy Advocacy Network New Jersey Tenants Organization New Jersey Time to Care Coalition New Jersey Women in the NAACP ROC Supporting the Transformation of America’s Restaurants (ROC STARS) of New Jersey South Jersey National Organization of Women – Alice Paul Chapter Statewide Parent Advocacy Network NEW MEXICO Restaurant Opportunities Center Albuquerque NEW YORK Align: The Alliance For A Greater New York Center for Popular Democracy Docs for Tots ECE PolicyWorks Greater New York Labor-Religion Coalition New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health New York Paid Leave Coalition New York Union Childcare Coalition Restaurant Opportunities Center New York NORTH CAROLINA North Carolina Justice Center North Carolina Women United

ROC Supporting the Transformation of America’s Restaurants (ROC STARS) of North Carolina Women AdvaNCe OHIO ROC Supporting the Transformation of America’s Restaurants (ROC STARS) of Cincinnati PENNSLYVANIA PathWays PA Pennsylvania Breastfeeding Coalition Restaurant Opportunities Center Philadelphia ROC Supporting the Transformation of America’s Restaurants (ROC STARS) of Pittsburgh Women's Law Project RHODE ISLAND Women’s Fund of Rhode Island TENNESSEE National Council of Jewish Women Tennessee ROC Supporting the Transformation of America’s Restaurants (ROC STARS) of Memphis Tennessee Breastfeeding Coalition TEXAS ROC Supporting the Transformation of America’s Restaurants (ROC STARS) of Dallas Restaurant Opportunities Center Houston VERMONT Vermont Breastfeeding Network Vermont Lactation Consultant Association, Inc. Voices for Vermont’s Children WASHINGTON Economic Opportunity Institute ROC Supporting the Transformation of America’s Restaurants (ROC STARS) of Seattle United Food and Commercial Workers Local 21 Washington Work and Family Coalition WISCONSIN 9to5 Wisconsin ROC Supporting the Transformation of America’s Restaurants (ROC STARS) of Milwaukee Urban Underground Voces de la Frontera Wisconsin Jobs Now Wood County Breastfeeding Coalition Wood County Health Department

1 Lake Research Partners & Chesapeake Beach Consulting survey of 1,024 registered voters, January 23-28, 2013. 2 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2012, September). Employee Benefits in the United States National Compensation Survey: Employee Benefits in the United States, March 2012 (Tables 16 and 32). Retrieved 16 September 2013, from http://www.bls.gov/ncs/ebs/benefits/2012/ebbl0050.pdf 3 Laughlin, L. (2011, October). Maternity Leave and Employment Patterns of First-Time Mothers: 1961-2008. U.S. Census Bureau publication. Retrieved 16 September 2013, from http://www.census.gov/prod/2011pubs/p70-128.pdf 4 Ibid.; Glynn, S., & Farrell, J. (2012, November 20). Latinos Least Likely to Have Paid Leave or Workplace Flexibility. Center for American Progress publication. Retrieved 16 September 2013, from http://www.americanprogress.org/wpcontent/uploads/2012/11/GlynnLatinosPaidLeave1.pdf 5 Lake Research Partners & Tarrance Group for the National Partnership for Women & Families. (2012, November). Election Eve/Night Omnibus. Retrieved 16 September 2013, from http://go.nationalpartnership.org/site/DocServer/Lake_Research_and_Tarrance_Group_Omnibus_Poll_Results_fo.pdf?docID=11581 6 Abt Associates. (2012, September). Family and Medical Leave in 2012: Technical Report. Retrieved 16 September 2013, from http://www.dol.gov/asp/evaluation/fmla/fmla2012.htm 7 See note 3; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2013, April 26). Families with own children: Employment status of parents by age of youngest child and family type, 2011-2012 annual averages (Table 4). Retrieved 16 September 2013, from http://www.bls.gov/news.release/famee.t04.htm; National Alliance for Caregiving. (2009, November). Caregiving in the U.S. 2009. National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP publication. Retrieved 16 September 2013, from http://www.caregiving.org/data/Caregiving_in_the_US_2009_full_report.pdf 8 Lee, D. (2012, September 4). More older workers making up labor force. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 16 September 2013, from http://articles.latimes.com/2012/sep/04/business/la-fi-labor-seniors-20120903 9 American Rights at Work. The Growth of the Exploited, Contingent Workforce. Retrieved 16 September 2013, from http://www.americanrightsatwork.org/dmdocuments/ARAWReports/contingentworkforce_final.pdf 10 Out of 188 for which data are available. Heymann, J., & McNeill, K. (2013, February). Children's Chances: How Countries Can Move From Surviving to Thriving. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press. 11 National Partnership for Women & Families research. 12 Heymann, J., et al. (2009, May). Contagion Nation: A Comparison of Paid Sick Day Policies in 22 Countries . Center for Economic and Policy Research publication. Retrieved 18 March 2013, from http://www.cepr.net/index.php/publications/reports/contagion-nation/ 13 Amnesty International. (2010). Deadly Delivery: The Maternal Health Care Crisis in the USA. Amnesty International publication. Retrieved 16 September 2013, from http://www.amnestyusa.org/dignity/pdf/DeadlyDelivery.pdf 14 Rynell, A. (2008, October). Causes of Poverty: Findings from Recent Research. Heartland Alliance Mid-America Institute on Poverty publication. Retrieved 16 September 2013, from http://www.woodsfund.org/site/files/735/69201/260704/363127/causes-ofpoverty_report_by_Heartland_Alliance.pdf; McKernan, S., & Ratcliffe, C. (2005, November 11). Events that Trigger Poverty Entries and Exits. Social Science Quarterly 86, 1146-1169. 15 Houser, L., & Vartanian, T. (2012, January). Pay Matters: The Positive Economic Impact of Paid Family Leave for Families, Businesses and the Public. Center for Women and Work at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey publication. Retrieved 16 September 2013, from http://www.nationalpartnership.org/site/DocServer/Pay_Matters_Positive_Economic_Impacts_of_Paid_Family_L.pdf?docID=9681 16 Gomby, D., & Pei, D. (2009). Newborn Family Leave: Effects on Children, Parents, and Business. David and Lucile Packard Foundation publication. Retrieved 16 September 2013, from http://www.packard.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/NFLA_fullreport_final.pdf 17 Berger, L., Hill, J., & Waldfogel, J. (2005). Maternity Leave, Early Maternal Employment and Child Health and Development in the US. The Economic Journal, 115(501), F44. 18 Ruhm, C. J. (2000). Parental leave and child health. Journal of Health Economics, 19(6), 931-960. 19 Heymann. J. (2001, October 15). The Widening Gap: Why America’s Working Families Are in Jeopardy—and What Can Be Done About It. New York, NY: Basic Books. 20 Heymann, J., & Earle, A. (2010). Raising the global floor: dismantling the myth that we can't afford good working conditions for everyone . Stanford, CA.: Stanford Politics and Policy. 21 See e.g., Institute of Medicine. (2008, April 11). Retooling for an Aging America: Building the Health Care Workforce , 254. Retrieved 16 September 2013, from http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2008/Retooling-for-an-Aging-America-Building-the-Health-Care-Workforce.aspx; Arbaje, et al. (2008). Postdischarge Environmental and Socioeconomic Factors and the Likelihood of Early Hospital Readmission Among CommunityDwelling Medicare Beneficiaries. The Gerontologist 48(4), 495-504. Summary retrieved 16 September 2013, from http://www.rwjf.org/grantees/connect/product.jsp?id=34775 22 Aumann, K., et al. (2010). The Elder Care Study: Everday Realities and Wishes for Change. Families and Work Institute publication. Retrieved 16 September 2013, from http://familiesandwork.org/site/research/reports/elder_care.pdf 23 Lake Research Partners for Small Business Majority survey of 707 small business owners nationwide, conducted from January 24-February 1, 2013. 24 Boushey, H., & Glynn, S. (2012, November 16). There Are Significant Business Costs to Replacing Employees. Center for American Progress publication. Retrieved 16 September 2013, from http://www.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/CostofTurnover.pdf 25 See note 15. 26 Appelbaum, E., & Milkman, R. (2011). Leaves That Pay: Employer and Worker Experiences with Paid Family Leave in California . Center for Economic and Policy Research Publication. Retrieved 16 September 2013, from http://www.cepr.net/index.php/publications/reports/leavesthat-pay 27 Ibid. 28 MetLife Mature Market Institute. (2011, June). The MetLife Study of Caregiving Costs to Working Caregivers: Double Jeopardy for Baby Boomers Caring for Their Parents. Retrieved 16 September 2013, from http://www.metlife.com/assets/cao/mmi/publications/studies/2011/mmicaregiving-costs-working-caregivers.pdf 29 See note 26. 30 Press of Atlantic City. (2010, November 15). Paid Family Leave / Working well. Retrieved 16 September 2013, from http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/opinion/editorials/article_0d6ba980-3a1d-56f7-9101-258999b5d9d0.html

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