Washington State Work and Family Agenda

state-wpcf_250x323A new baby, a bout of flu, or a cancer diagnosis too often leads to a family crisis. Forcing workers to choose between their job and their health, or that of a loved one, is bad for our communities and bad for our economy.

The Washington Work and Family Agenda assures that every job is an economy-boosting job. Our families, communities, and economy will be stronger when working people have enough income to cover the basics while protecting their own health and caring for their loved ones.

Paid Sick Days
Everyone gets sick or needs to see the doctor now and then – but 40% of workers get no paid sick days. Assuring that all employees can earn paid sick time keeps everyone healthier by encouraging sick workers and kids to stay home – away from co-workers, schoolmates, and customers.

Seattle implemented paid sick leave in September 2012, following San Francisco, Washington, DC, and Connecticut. Portland, OR and New York City adopted standards in 2013.

The Healthy Tacoma Coalition is campaigning for a City Council ordinance on paid sick days.In Washington State, House Bill 1313/Senate Bill 5594 will allow employees to earn 5 to 9 days of paid sick and safe leave, depending on employer size, similar to Seattle’s law –protecting 1 million workers who receive no sick leave.

Family & Medical Leave Insurance
When a new child comes into a family or a serious illness strikes, people need longer periods of time off. Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FMLI) provides low-cost insurance for all workers, with income during those longer family or medical leaves. California, New Jersey, and Rhode Island have full insurance programs in place.

The Washington Work and Family Coalition has developed an FMLI plan for our state’s working families. House Bill 1457/Senate Bill 5292 would:

  • Provide up to 12 weeks to care for a new child or seriously ill family member, and 12 weeks for the worker’s own serious health condition
  • Povide benefits of 2/3 weekly pay, funded through payroll premiums shared by workers and employers (starting at $1.00 per week for the typical worker).

Full Fact Sheet »

D.C. Corporate Front Group Tries to Speak for Seattle – and Fails Miserably

Michael Saltsman via The Seattle Times

This week, The Seattle Times ran an op-ed by Michael Saltsman of the Employment Policies Institute (EPI), an industry-funded ‘research’ organization, claiming Seattle’s Paid Sick Days law is negatively impacting local businesses and driving up costs.

Here’s the funny thing about EPI’s report: it’s basically an opinion survey of a very small sample. EPI surveyed 300 selected business owners (mostly restaurants), asking them if they thought Seattle’s sick days law would increase costs. But EPI didn’t ask for any math to back up those opinions.

They also didn’t bother to ask any employees or customers what they thought.

Of course, when a Seattle restaurant owner like Tom Douglas announces he will raise his employees’ wages to $15 an hour after realizing the sick-leave law costs much less than expected, maybe EPI knew opinions would play better to their case than actual, you know, data.

Reporter David Goldstein, writing for The Stranger, decisively called out the real motives behind EPI ‘s ‘report’:

Although the Seattle Times describes EPI as a “nonprofit research organization,” it’s really anything but. In fact, EPI is nothing more than just one of about two dozen front groups created by DC-based corporate lobbyist Richard Berman, a Beltway-insider notorious for his take-no-prisoners tactics, and his all-out assaults on such enemies of freedom as Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the Humane Society.

In 2014, we will be working with the Legislature to pass statewide standards for paid sick days and family and medical leave insurance. To be successful, we need to get the real story out about why paid leave matters for everyone’s health and well-being. Here are a two ways you can help:

  • Take a few minutes to send a letter to the editor to your local paper about why you support paid sick days and family and medical leave insurance.

This September marks the one-year anniversary of paid sick days in Seattle, but millions of Washington workers still have no access to paid leave. In 2014, we can make our state healthier and safer by assuring that all working people have access to the paid leave they need to stay healthy and care for their families.

Let’s get to work.

Providing paid leave is not just good for families, but for taxpayers and businesses too

When we think of paid maternity leave, we often think the benefits are constrained to the mom, child, and immediate family. But actually, the gains of paid family leave go much further.

Providing paid family leave for new moms generates enormous savings for the state and taxpayers. Paid family leave allows new moms to take care of their family with stable, predictable income without becoming dependent on public resources like unemployment insurance or food stamps.

According to a 2002 study in California, for example, only 5 percent of those taking paid leave end up on public assistance during their leave, as opposed to 11 percent of those who did not have paid family and medical leave. The study’s estimates “show that instituting the paid family leave program would lead to approximately $253.5 million in public savings that year.”

Similarly, an April 2012 study by the Rutgers Center for Women and Work showed that women on paid leave are 39% less likely to request public assistance in the year after a child’s birth and, when taking public assistance, use $467 less on average in that year. The report notes that women who have paid leave tend to not only remain in the workforce after the pregnancy, but have higher wages over time than those who do not.

But the benefits do not stop there. Businesses also see improvements in productivity and cost-savings as a result of providing paid family leave for workers. Experts estimate that the California FLI law saved $90 million annually for businesses in turnover costs. The savings might actually be higher though; while the previous number was calculated assuming a $1,100 per employee turnover cost, some studies suggest it actually “costs businesses about one-fifth of a worker’s salary to replace that worker.”

So while there are obvious benefits for the mom, child, and immediate family, it is just as important to consider both private and public savings as a result of FLI implementation. Out of 178 countries, the U.S. is one of three that does not offer paid maternity leave benefits to its citizens, but that doesn’t mean American mothers are without hope. States have the opportunity to enact policies that help their working mothers, and  D.C.’s stagnancy means local action is crucial.

Paid family and medical leave insurance (FMLI) is a good option for not only families, but taxpayers and business too. In 2007, the Washington state legislature approved the Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program to provide five weeks of partially paid leave for new parents, but implementation has been delayed and funding blocked by Republicans in Olympia. Last session, several state senators tried to repeal the act altogether.

Women make up a majority of the US workforce – ensuring women have access to fully-funded FMLI is not only crucial for working families but for taxpayers and businesses as well.