NOW - NEW YORK STATE SUPPORT MEMO
A7130 (Nolan)
- Working Families Time to Care Act
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The National Organization for Women – New York State, Inc. strongly
supports A7130, the Working Families Time to Care Act. It would expand New
York's existing Temporary Disability Insurance (TDI) program (which provides
some wage replacement during a worker's own non-work-related temporary disability)
to also cover a worker who needs time off to care for a newborn or newly adopted
child, or a seriously ill family member. Workers would receive up to 12 weeks
of benefits, funded through a modest increase in premiums paid within the existing
TDI program.
This is an age in which a one-income family is a luxury which most cannot
afford, yet also an age in which more and more employees are subject to changes
in family circumstances which necessitates their absence from work. A statewide
bill is needed to accommodate workers so that they remain financially stable
while taking time off to care for loved ones.
Less than 10% of all workers in the United States receive paid leave to take
care of family members at times of extreme circumstances, and 78% percent of
people who need family leave can’t afford to take it and approximately
50% of all personal bankruptcies result from health care-related crises. In
concert, all of these statistics imply that New York State’s employees
are in desperate need of legislation which will fund their absences from work
as a result of the health-related issues of children and other family members.
Parents need the time to care for their newborn children. Many people require
time off to care for ailing relatives. It is imperative that employees be afforded
time off from their work without fear of losing income or other assets. No
person should have to choose between familial well-being and financial well-being.
They should not be mutually exclusive entities. Instead, employees should be
afforded leave with pay. Any other arrangement is discriminatory to workers,
especially working mothers with children, who have health-related family concerns.
In addition, this bill would be beneficial to employers and children. Studies
have shown that paid leave has assisted many companies in retaining valuable
workers and it increases productivity. Affording newborns the opportunity to
bond with their parents, or allowing parents to care for their ailing children
will be beneficial and allow for quicker recovery. Thus, the Working Families
Time to Care Act is in the best interest of women, children, and families.
Paid leave during health-related crises is a crucial for New York State’s
employees. Workers need financial insurance during their greatest times of
need, and the Working Families Time to Care Act will afford them this insurance.
For the safety and well-being of New York State’s women, children, and
families, the National Organization for Women-NYS, Inc. supports bill A7130,
know as the Working Families Time to Care Act.
Marcia A. Pappas, President, NOW-NYS, Inc.
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