Universal Paid Family Leave…Didn’t We Already Win That?
On December 20, 2016, the District took a historic step towards economic justice and preserving human dignity in the workplace when the Council gave final approval to the Universal Paid Family Leave Act by a nine to four margin. The bill creates a new social insurance program available to all people who work in D.C. that guarantees eight weeks of parental leave (including for adoptive parents), six weeks to support a loved one who is sick or dying, and two weeks to treat personal illness. Despite complaints from the business lobby, the $250 million in annual costs for the program are paid for by a very reasonable 0.62% increase in payroll taxes on District businesses. The bill is progressively structured to benefit low-income workers the most with its leave payouts, and will actually be a huge boon to employers as well as employees by making it easier to retain talent during difficult personal times and by making the District a more attractive place to work.
Despite support from both the public and the Council, the bill faced attacks almost immediately. Mayor Bowser didn’t mothball the program with a veto, but she didn’t sign it either. And though the bill became law on April 7 after surviving a 30-day Congressional review period, the D.C. Council was already well on the way to snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. Under pressure from both the Mayor and the business lobby, the Council announced in February that they would be reopening debate on the issue. Bolstered by hand wringing over the potential impact of the program on D.C.’s economy, at least two competing bills are currently on the table to repeal and replace the existing law. Both bills water down the legislation by offering “business friendly” alternatives to the funding method for the program, but (predictably) workers end up getting harmed in the process.
The current law is simply the best option available to make paid family leave a reality for District workers. It also has the benefit of actually already being a law. Now we need to keep it that way.
The first battle is to make sure the full $40 million needed to get the program up and running is included in the FY 2018 budget currently being developed in the D.C. Council. Once startup funding is secured, the focus will pivot back to protecting the victory already won by showing support for the law that’s already on the books. The District government must do the right thing and faithfully implement the program as it is currently designed.
Luckily, the D.C. Paid Family Leave Campaign has made it easy for you to get involved in this fight for worker dignity and well being. First, you should go to DCPaidFamilyLeave.org to learn more about the Campaign and sign up to volunteer. If signing a petition showing support is your thing, they got you covered. If making calls to lobby the Council is more your speed, you can sign up for a time slot making weekly Friday calls demanding the full $40 million in startup funding through the month of May. The Campaign makes this even easier than it sounds, providing a friendly reminder text 10 minutes before your scheduled text and a sample call script so that you feel confident in your message. You can also feel confident in knowing that your voice is one of many, as you can see how many other time slots are filled by fellow callers. There will also be future Council meetings to attend, tweets to send, and Facebook messages to share.
A popular movement proved powerful enough to get the bill passed. Now we need a popular movement to protect it.
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