The legislature will soon be considering a paid family leave insurance bill that will allow Oregon's workers some support during critical times when they need to care for a family member. Please see the end of this post for ways you can help!
What would the program look like?
- For those who are currently eligible for FMLA/OFLA, which allows some workers 12-weeks of unpaid time off to welcome a child or care for a sick loved one, this bill would allow for 6 of those weeks to be paid at $300/week (roughly minimum wage).
- This insurance fund would be employee-funded through a 2-pennies-per-hour payroll deduction and would be administered by the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries. There would be no contribution by employers or the state.
- Employers with fewer than 25 employees would have the choice to opt-in, but would not be required to do so. Only those employees paying into the fund would have the option to collect from it.
In these economic times, families are struggling. The majority of Oregon's workers are caring for a child or other family member. Paid family leave insurance means not having to choose between providing for and caring for your family.
We need your help! This bill was narrowly defeated in 2007. Please tell your legislators not to make the same mistake twice. This year we need to support Oregon's workers by passing paid family leave insurance.
What can you do?
- Send an email or call your legislators asking them to support this bill. If they already support it, ask them to show it by co-sponsoring.
- Join the Parents for Paid Leave Mailing List and/or Facebook Group - this is the best way for us to keep you posted on the bill's progress.
- Write a letter to the editor for your local paper. These are short, easy, and a good way to get the dialog going about why this is so important to families.
- Tell us your story! Did you have an experience with unpaid leave when you needed to care for a family member? What happened?
With your help this will happen in 2009. Thank you.
