Stories Matter
Tell us why paid leave matters to you.
Stories Matter
Tell us why paid leave matters to you.
The need for paid leave touches everyone.
It is a need that crosses all of the boundaries that often divide us as a nation. Regardless of race, or income, geography, or political affiliation, everyone knows someone who has needed paid leave in some form in their life. Parental leave gives us the opportunity to take care of a newborn, newly-adopted family member, or a partner who is recovering from childbirth. Personal medical leave provides the support we need beyond sick days to take care of serious health concerns. Caregiving leave allows us to take care of an aging parent, family or chosen family member with a serious health condition. Decision makers, either in Washington, DC, or in corporate board rooms across the nation need to hear your story to better understand why paid leave matters. Stories are why we’ve won paid family and medical leave for over 8 million working people in the US.
So, what kind of paid leave matters to you, and why? Scroll down, or click the links below and share your story with us. We’ll make sure it gets to the people who will help us get paid leave for EVERYONE.
Parental Leave
Care for a newborn, newly-adopted child or newly-placed foster child.
Welcoming a new child to your family should be a time for joy, but many American working families have to make the difficult decision to return to work way before they, or their new baby, are ready. It’s time for a change. The momentum to win a national paid leave policy for all parents is stronger than ever and you can help supercharge the effort by joining working people across the nation and sharing your story. Some things to think about as you share your story:
How did having, (or not having), a paid leave policy for the birth of your new child impact you and your family?
How were you able to juggle being a new parent with work responsibilities?
What would have improved about your experience as a new parent if you had more time to be with your baby before returning to work?
Tell us why parental leave matters to you.
Caregiving Leave
Care for a family member, including chosen family, with a serious health condition.
We’ll all have critical moments in our lives when we need to be there for our family. Whether we’re caring for an aging parent or helping a loved one recover from a serious illness, every person in America wants and deserves to love and support family in these moments. By coming together and sharing our real stories of providing care for our family members when they needed it the most, we can help demonstrate the need for paid leave policy to include caregiving so we can put family first without risking our livelihoods. Some things to think about as you share your story:
Why was providing care for your loved one important to you?
Is there a situation where you needed to provide caregiving for a loved one? What was that experience like?
How were you able to juggle caregiving responsibilities with work or other responsibilities?
How did having, (or not having), a paid leave policy for caregiving impact you?
Tell us why paid caregiving leave matters to you.
Personal Medical Leave
This leave is meant to allow you to address a personal, serious health concern.
At any moment, each of us may need to face the challenge of taking time away from work for personal medical reasons. Paid medical leave offers the time and pay that go beyond sick leave, and is a critical element of a great paid family leave policy. It is important that our decision makers in Congress understand the distinction between the two, and how not having medical leave can have real impacts on employees and their families. Some things to think about as you share your story:
Was there a time that you needed to take personal medical leave and did not have access to it?
What was the financial and personal impact that lack of access to paid medical leave had on you and your family?
If you took leave anyway, how did that impact your employment?
Tell us why paid medical leave matters to you.