WSLC Reports Today -- March 23, 2007

FRIDAY, MARCH 23, 2007
It's time for Family & Medical Leave Insurance for all workers
After 6 years of legislative debate, Senate-approved SB 5659 ready for a VOTE!

What would you do if your child, spouse, partner or parent was suddenly diagnosed with a serious illness and hospitalized, and you couldn't afford to take any time off work?

That's a real-world dilemma for nearly half of the workers in Washington state who get no paid sick leave from their employers. If it becomes necessary for them to care for a sick family member or a new baby arrives, they simply lose their incomes -- and sometimes their very jobs. Even workers who have good benefit packages often exhaust their paid leave during a critical family illness or following the birth of a child.

The federal Family and Medical Leave Act provides up to 12 weeks of leave for such events, but about half of the private workforce is not covered by the FMLA -- which only covers businesses with 50 or more employees -- and even if they are covered, the FMLA only provides unpaid leave. A U.S. Department of Labor study found that 78% of those who needed leave did not take it. The most common reason people don't take leave when a family member really needs their care is because they simply can't afford it.

"We all benefit..."

An excerpt from The (Tacoma) News Tribune's March 16 editorial supporting SB 5659 passage, Family leave still out of reach for too many:

The 1993 passage of the federal Family and Medical Leave Act represented major progress in helping Americans balance their responsibilities to work and family.

Dire predictions about the damage the law would do to the economy and job growth have largely not come to pass. In 1995 and 2000 U.S. Department of Labor surveys, employers reported that the law hadn’t harmed profits or productivity; in some cases, both improved. That should come as no surprise. Employees who come to work distracted by family medical problems or other issues are usually less productive.

We all benefit when mothers and fathers can take time off to bond and care for their children. Nurtured kids fare better in school, are more resilient and eventually make greater contributions to the working world. Same goes for allowing workers to tend to elderly parents or an ailing spouse, care that might otherwise fall to a government program to deliver at higher cost.

But for some workers, especially those at the bottom of the wage scale, the 12-week unpaid leave guaranteed by the federal law is an empty promise. Fewer than half of employers in Washington offer paid sick leave that would allow workers to afford to take time off...

What came off the Senate floor (the amended SB 5659) was a reasonable step toward allowing more workers to use family leave.

That's why the Washington State Labor Council has joined a broad coalition of organizations, businesses and advocates for working mothers and families to support SB 5659, the Family and Medical Leave Insurance Act sponsored by Sen. Karen Keiser (D-Des Moines) and Rep. Mary Lou Dickerson (D-Seattle). The labor unions that comprise the WSLC believe that all workers, when faced with a serious health condition in their family, should be assured both job security and economic security. And after six years of discussion, debate and policy revision, we believe the time is finally here for a paid family leave insurance program in Washington state.

SB 5659 already passed the Senate on a 32-17 vote, and is scheduled to advance from the House Commerce and Labor Committee this afternoon, making it available for a House floor vote any time in the next three weeks. (Friday, April 13 is the cutoff date for it to pass the House.)

SB 5659 would provide all Washington workers with partial pay for up to five weeks at a stipend of $250 a week (pro-rated for part-timers) when they must deal with a serious illness for a family member, including domestic partners, or the birth or adoption of a child. The insurance program would be financed by a 2-cents-an-hour payroll deduction on workers. That means for a premium of about $40 a year, all workers in Washington state would have Family and Medical Leave Insurance coverage, and the security of knowing they can afford to take some time off work when they have a family health emergency or when they welcome a new child into their family.

California, Hawaii, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island offer paid disability leave for all workers, including coverage for women following childbirth. In 2004, California became the first state to add a family leave component to its existing disability insurance program. Since that time, 90% of the claims for paid family leave in California were for bonding with a new child and 10% of the claims were for care giving. As this new program is marketed, the number of claims for illness and care giving are expected to increase.

The program has proven so successful that, in addition to Washington, other states are also considering the creation of family leave insurance programs. Oregon currently has a bill before its legislature to offer about $229 a week for up to six weeks through a worker payroll deduction. New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Illinois are also considering similar programs.

Three of four Washington voters (73%) support creating a worker-funded Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FMLI) program covering all workers in Washington state, according to a new poll conducted by Lake Research Partners, a respected national polling firm. In Eastern Washington, the support rose to a remarkable 82%. A recent Elway Poll also measured strong support for worker-funded FMLI.

Dozens of business owners and advocates for working families and mothers have testified before the Legislature in support of SB 5659. A survey of 48 small business owners and managers in both urban and rural parts of Western Washington, conducted by the Economic Opportunity Institute, found that 85% of those interviewed support FMLI. (See a list of some of the businesses that support the FMLI.)

The most common reason given was that FMLI would help small businesses retain dependable employees, especially part-time workers who receive no sick pay or vacation benefits. Often these employees are forced to quit their jobs when they must care for a sick family member or a new baby arrives.