PPAO: Action Alert!

Oregon Family Leave Insurance will give employees 6 weeks of paid leave for a new child or ill family member.  This insurance builds on existing family leave laws that provide 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave.  The insurance benefit is funded through a 2 cent per hour payroll deduction from employee salaries (about $42 per year).  This modest contribution enables workers to be eligible for $300 per week, up to $1,800 per year. 

Families need time to care.  With an increasing number of Oregonians "sandwiched" between caring for their children and their aging parents, employees are increasingly called upon to balance their need for time-off against their need to earn a paycheck. 

It is time to care for Oregon families.  Tell your Legislators to keep Family Leave Insurance moving today!

Why would Family Leave Insurance help Oregon's families? Right now, families are struggling when a loved one needs care. Paid Family Leave helps families bridge the income gap caused by folks being unable to go to work because they need to care for a new baby or a sick family member. We need Paid Family Leave to help Oregon families stay out of poverty--especially in this time when so many families are already vulnerable.

Send a message to your Legislators Today!

 

Sample Letter for Campaign

Subject: Support SB 966: Oregon Family Leave Insurance

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

I am writing to applaud the Senate Commerce and Workforce Committee for passing Paid Family Leave Insurance (SB 966) favorably out of committee. As a constituent in your district, I know that Oregon families need Family Leave Insurance. Please work with your colleagues to pass this key legislation into law this year.

SB 966 Paid Family Leave Insurance gives employees a way to create their own safety net. By pooling together, employees can provide themselves with a monetary bridge when they need to take family time off, time off that is already offered to them in Oregon and Federal law. SB 966 will collect 2 cents per hour an employee works. In return, these employees are eligible for $300 per week for 6 weeks.

This money will go far, especially in this economy, to help families maintain financial stability during the illness of a loved one, or when bringing home a new child. Having access to $300 a week can keep food on the table and utilities turned on when a family member is seriously ill. It can help parents pay the mortgage during a baby's first month of life. More importantly, Family Leave Insurance will keep family from falling behind when family needs arise.

Now is the time!!! Please continue to work with your colleagues to pass SB 966, Oregon Family Leave Insurance, for Oregon families this session.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
May 05, 2009


Background Information

Today, most working parents are eligible to receive 12 weeks of time off to care for a sick family member or to welcome a new child. However, many employees are unable to take advantage of these benefits because they cannot afford to go without a paycheck. By providing partial wage replacement to these workers, Paid Family Leave Insurance will enable many low-and moderate-income families to be at home during the crucial first months of a child's life, or to take care of a family member who has a life-threatening illness.


SB 966, creating Oregon Family Leave Insurance, will give employees 6 weeks of paid leave for a new child or ill family member. Oregon Family Leave Insurance will cover all employees who are eligible under the current Oregon family leave laws, meaning they work for a firm with 25 or more employees. Smaller employers will be able to opt-in to this insurance so they can offer these same benefits to their employees as well.

The insurance benefit is funded through a 2 cent per hour payroll deduction from employee salaries (about $42 per year). This modest contribution enables workers to be eligible for $300 per week, $1,800 per year. The deduction is collected through existing payroll reporting methods that collect for the Worker's Benefit Fund and TRImet. The Bureau of Labor and Industries perform the benefit, enforcement, and administration. Start-up costs will be in the form of a loan from the general fund and will be paid back within the biennium.

Many employees cannot afford unpaid family leave: 78% of employees who did not take family leave when they needed it reported they did so because they could not afford to go without a paycheck according to the U.S. Department of Labor.


Families need time to care: 62% of Oregon children under age 6 have all available parents in the labor force. And 80% of older adult care is provided solely by family and friends. In fact, half of the U.S. labor force will be caregivers within the next five years.

Paid Family Leave is good for business: Employers benefit by increasing employee retention and decreasing costly employee turnover. Businesses also profit from higher productivity.