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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, $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. Take action today!
| Sample Letter for Campaign |
Subject: Support Oregon Family Leave Insurance
Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,
Thank you for your past support of Paid Family Leave Insurance. Parents, seniors, businesses, and faith leaders are joining again in 2009 to make Paid Family Leave a reality for Oregon's working families.
In this struggling economy, it is clear families need Paid Family Leave Insurance more than ever. For most Oregonians today, a family's financial security depends on all adults working and providing a paycheck. Changes in family circumstances- whether it's the birth of a new child or serious illness of a family member-can cause financial instability and distress. Most Oregon workers do not have the luxury of paid leave and cannot forgo even one paycheck. In fact, 78% of workers who should have taken family leave, but did not, reported they did so because they could not afford to go without a paycheck.
SB 966 allows Oregon employees to provide for themselves the much needed support of paid leave. Through a 2 cent/hour deduction which provides $300/week for 6 weeks to these workers, Oregon Family Leave Insurance will enable many low-and moderate-income families to take care of a family member who has a life-threatening illness or to be at home during the crucial first months of life that are vital to bonding.
Please support SB 966. It's time! Families need it! We need "Time to Care for Oregon Families."
Sincerely,
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Campaign Launched:
March 30, 2009
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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 benefit, enforcement, and administration is performed by the Bureau of Labor and Industries. 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 becuase 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.
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