MotherhoodUncategorizedWorking Mom Woes

It’s time to make Paid Leave a Reality for NY Parents #PaidLeave #MakeNYNext

It’s 2016 and this should not be happening anymore…

nearly 1 in 4 employed mothers return to work within two weeks of childbirth. (1)

 

Can you imagine how stressful that is for a mother? For her body? For her state of mind? Is it OK to leave a two-week old newborn? It’s not. A woman’s body isn’t even healed properly. An infant needs its mother. It’s time to make paid leave a reality for parents in all of USA, and NY is next!

lobby day graphic 2

In the State of the State earlier this year Governor Andrew Cuomo recognized the importance paid leave has on economic well-being of families in our state. In his plan for 2016 Governor Cuomo has expressed the following: 

Provide Paid Family Leave for New York Workers

To help workers care for their families while protecting their earnings and job security, the Governor proposes a new paid family leave program for New York workers. New York State’s Paid Family Leave Program will provide twelve weeks of job-protected, employee-funded leave to be used for bonding with a new child or caring for a sick relative.

 

Statewide paid family leave will particularly benefit low-income workers who often lack benefits or job security, and for whom access to any leave, even unpaid, is often not available or cost prohibitive. Paid family leave also has the potential to serve as a great equalizer for women. This is so because in many instances, women who leave the workforce to care for a newborn not only forfeit their existing salaries in the short-term, but also suffer diminished future earnings and career trajectories in the long term. Establishing paid family leave marks a pivotal next step in the pursuit of equality and dignity in both the workplace and the home.

 

 

There are many who support paid leave and tomorrow morning  starting at 10 am supporters of #PaidLeave will be heading to Albany, NY’s capital, to show their support for much needed paid family leave in New York State. I’m very sad I can’t make it but I’m using the power of social media to spread the word and I’m asking all of you to chip in as well!

Make NY Next paid leave

What can you do? TEXT AND TWEET! Tomorrow, between 10-3 you can text “Paid Leave” to 877877  and Tweet at @NYSenate and @NYGovCuomo to express your support for #PaidLeave

Supporters and organizations like NY Paid Coalition will be in Albany and you can take Twitter by storm!

Here are some sample tweets (all you have to do is copy and paste on Twitter!)

When having a baby is STILL a leading cause of poverty spells, it’s clear we need #PaidLeave in NY. Text Paid Leave to 877877 now!

#PaidLeave means healthy workers, strong families & a strong economy. Show your support & text Paid Leave to 877877 now! Let’s #MakeNYNext.

NYers text Paid Leave to 877877 b/c it is tried & true. “Without that income support, I wouldn’t have made it,” a #CA Mom re #PaidLeave.

 

 

Diana Limongi
Diana a mom, activist, nonprofit professional, podcaster and writer from Queens, NY. She writes about motherhood, activism, raising my multilingual kids, culture and travel. She and her multicultural family live in Queens, NY.

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