REDEFINING POSSIBILITY:
THE FIGHT FOR QUALITY PAID FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE FOR EVERYONE
The Journey of PL+US and Lessons Learned
REDEFINING POSSIBILITY:
THE FIGHT FOR QUALITY PAID FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE FOR EVERYONE
The Journey of PL+US and Lessons Learned
This final report is a look back at PL+US’ journey from founding to sunset. It covers principles and strategy, work and lessons learned, key milestones, and appreciations for the PL+US community. Our hope is that this is a helpful tool for paid leave and other social change movements in the years to come.
PL+US was founded in 2016 as a time-bound, single-issue campaign to win federal paid family and medical leave for every working person in the U.S.
Over its five year campaign, PL+US won new or improved access to employer-based paid leave for more than eight million working people at some of the largest employers in the U.S. and helped advance federal legislation further than ever before.
PL+US approached winning federal paid leave policy by working across four key pillars: corporate engagement, grassroots advocacy and storytelling, policy and politics, and organizational structure and culture. The campaign sought to build power across these pillars while reconceptualizing the people practices of a time bound campaign.
Corporate Engagement
One path to winning paid leave for more working people in the U.S. was through employer policy change. PL+US worked from both the inside and outside to push large companies to introduce or expand paid leave policies. Corporate policy transformation created momentum by building a narrative of demand and by increasing the uptake and use of paid leave, the campaign built an engaged group of businesses who would later become advocates for federal policy.
Grassroots Advocacy and Storytelling
PL+US used advocacy and storytelling to shift public understanding about paid leave and foster a broad-based popular narrative. Lifting up impacted families and centering their stories and experiences was central to the campaign’s work and success.
Politics and Policy
Passing federal policy would require demonstrating the political salience of paid leave. PL+US invested in an electoral candidate and voter contact program, mobilized constituents to illustrate localized support for the issue, and helped build greater champions on Capitol Hill by creating a political through-line from campaign to office.
Organizational Structure and Culture
PL+US grounded its campaign with principles and authenticity by modeling best practices on work-life balance, self-care, and support for caregiving for its own staff. Demonstrating this kind of leadership allowed PL+US to build credibility with partners and businesses in the private sector and speak authentically to policymakers on the benefits of paid leave.
PL+US was designed as a five-year campaign to win paid leave for every working person. Success was never guaranteed with a time-bound campaign, but through a thoughtful sunsetting process PL+US closed its doors with a great sense of achievement and hope for the future. The campaign celebrated the incredible progress the movement for paid leave achieved together over its five-year run and everyone touched by it will continue to be inspired for years to come by the PL+US core values: be bold, be curious, be excellent, be real and be compassionate.