Please help us support the new federal legislation calling for 12-weeks of paid family leave for families nationwide! We will be hosting a "Call Your Congressperson Play Date" at Urban Grind NE on Saturday June 14th at 10 am. If you've never called your Congressperson before, it's easy, quick, and fun.
We'll bring the telephone numbers of Portland-area representatives, and a short script describing why we, as parents, want to support the recently proposed federal paid family leave bill (HR 5873). All you have to do is bring your cell phone (if you have one), and leave a message for your congressperson to ask them to co-sponsor this bill.
Kids are welcome, and there is a play space to keep them busy while you make your call. After our calls, we'd love to talk to you about what you'd like to see included in the Oregon paid family leave bill. If you're interested, you can also find out more about joining this group.
Cant be there? If you can't make it, we would still like our congresspeople to see a major show of support on that day, so please call from wherever you are on June 14th and ask them to co-sponsor this bill. We'll provide the phone numbers and a basic script on this site as the event approaches.
Thank you for your support of families.
Thank you for organizing this. I made my phone calls. I added my own personal story: in the course of a year, I lost a mother and became a mother. Paid leave would have helped our family tremendously. I also added that I am gay. I have to prove time and again that I am a parent (I'm the non-bio mom), that we are a family - which is exhausting. It is essential that all families be recognized, supported, and valued, equally, justly. Keep up the vital work!
Posted by: mwf | June 14, 2008 at 09:04 AM