NEW YORK STATE
PAID FAMILY LEAVE COALITION

Working New Yorkers Need Paid Family Leave

NO SENATE BILL
Senator Morahan was last session’s Sponsor

ASSEMBLY BILL (NUMBER A9245)
Sponsor: Speaker Sheldon Silver

Statement of Purpose~ Changing Times Demand New Solutions
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. The demands on our families have changed dramatically over the past 30 years, but our workplaces have not kept pace. 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.

Expanding New York’s Temporary Disability Insurance
The New York State Paid Family Leave Coalition is working to change that this year. The coalition is working to win at least partial pay during family leave by expanding the Temporary Disability Insurance (TDI) that New Yorkers already have. This important initiative would expand New York’s existing TDI program to cover a worker who needs time off to care for a newborn or bond with an 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.

An Affordable Benefit
This is a very affordable benefit for both workers and businesses. Paid family leave would not increase payroll costs. The weekly benefit is covered by insurance and paid for by employees out of small deductions from their paychecks. Since employers would not have to pay workers who are on leave, the savings could be used to hire temporary help if needed. According to studies and to the governor’s estimates, the estimated cost of this addition to the current TDI structure is just pennies per week or $23.40 annually per worker at the current benefit rate of $170 per week.

Good Business
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.

Good Policy
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.

The New York State Paid Family Leave Coalition is a statewide organization dedicated to addressing the work/family balance through public policy. For more information, contact us at 212-226-1808 or online @ http://www.timetocareny.org/