Poli Alert Political & Civics
Related Articles
Business leaders are meeting with Congress this week for ‘Businesses for Paid Leave Week of Action.’ The large and small business leaders are pushing for a national paid family and medical leave policy.
“Business leaders will share with key legislative leaders the positive benefits of paid leave, from supporting diversity and inclusion to attracting and retaining a productive workforce,” Neil Sroka, a spokesperson for Paid Leave for the U.S., said.
Executives from Levi Strauss, Stitch Fix, Patagonia are expected to fly into Washington D.C. to talk to congressional members.
According to The Hill, the United States is the only developed nation that does not mandate paid parental leave.
A 2020 survey by the Labor Department revealed that only 21 percent of workers in the United States have access to paid family leave.
“Without paid leave, things unraveled at my business during COVID, and I had to let two employees go,” Portia Jones, co-owner of Mad Skillz Salon in Phoenix, Arizona, said.
President Joe Biden called on Congress to include 12 weeks of paid family leave in his American Families Plan. $225 billion from the proposal would be used to cover wages for workers who are welcoming a new child, sick, or suffering from other circumstances that prevent them from working.
“The highly targeted meetings ensure that the Congressional decision-makers who will be key to passing federal policy hear the strong business case for paid family and medical leave from the small and large business leaders who know it best,” Sroka said.
