We Cannot Support the Paid Family and Medical Leave Bill

The word equity gets thrown around a lot these days, but what does it really mean, when it comes to policy-making? At Voices, we've learned through experience that equity means taking action. It means understanding the larger structural forces that shape people's well-being -- such as race, ethnicity, gender, disability, or income -- and taking decisive steps to level the playing field.

In the context of paid family and medical leave, equity means designing a program that is universal, accountable, and affordable for everyone in Vermont.  The US Department of Labor has conducted extensive studies of leave-taking behavior and the data is clear: there are stark disparities in access to paid leave. Unmet need for leave is substantially higher for those with children, people of color and people with low incomes. 

The version of the paid leave bill (H. 107) that emerged from conference committee included some strong components of an equitable family leave program. However, while the legislation ensures that caregivers have access to paid leave to take care of family members, it does not extend the same guarantee for people to take care of themselves. By failing to provide universal coverage for workers to take paid time off to recover from their own serious illness or injury, H.107 ensures that inequity will continue, and likely worsen.

Pundits and legislative leaders are asking whether having no benefit is better than an imperfect benefit. That’s the wrong question. The right question is - does the proposed policy dismantle the inequities baked into our economic system so that everyone in Vermont has real access to paid leave?  As H.107 lead sponsor Rep. Robin Scheu wrote in an op-ed just a few months ago, “the people who suffer most by not having access to [temporary disability insurance] are those at the lower income levels who can least afford to take unpaid leave. People shouldn’t have to choose between their health and getting a paycheck. It is regressive to not offer TDI to our workers.”

At the start of the 2019 session, Senate President Pro Tem Tim Ashe agreed as he reacted to the governor’s proposal for a voluntary program. “It seems almost impossible to believe that under a voluntary program, those who wish to participate under such a program would not be paying a far greater price than the legislation that passed last year.” 

Time after time, the same people are sacrificed for the sake of political expediency and relegated to the margins: people of color, people with disabilities, people paid poverty wages…and their children.  After all, children bear the brunt of our inequitable system, experience poverty at higher rates than adults, and suffer the consequences throughout their lives. 

I’m writing this in the midst of the country’s annual recognition of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King’s legacy. As you peruse the flood of inspirational quotes on social media, remember that Dr. King was uncompromising in his fight for justice. He was blunt in his condemnation of an America that would allow poverty to exist alongside staggering wealth. He was also reviled by leaders whose interests he threatened, marked as a zealot, and harassed by the government. Yet he stood by his principles and inspired others to do the same. 

At Voices for Vermont’s Children, we find ourselves in a surprising and painful situation:  after more than 20 years of advocating for paid family and medical leave, we do not support the current proposal. How do we know this is the right thing? Because we’re standing with advocates who are similarly committed to equity and justice, survivors of intimate partner violence, people fighting to end poverty, leaders working for racial justice, older Vermonters, and people with disabilities. And we’re standing on the shoulders of the courageous leaders who came before us. As Dr. King said, “the time is always right to do what is right."

Whatever happens next – veto, override, or no override – Vermonters will be looking to their elected leaders to do what is right and finish the work they committed to on the campaign trail and in the Statehouse:  an equitable, universal, affordable paid family and medical leave program for all working Vermonters.

If you agree, please let your legislators know.  

Web Member Briefing

Want to learn more about our position? Please join a video/phone briefing Wednesday evening, January 22nd, from 7:00 - 8:00pm.

We're offering our members and subscribers a personal briefing on H.107, with an overview of the bill's development, more information about our opposition, and next steps. There will be time for questions. You can join via computer or phone, but you must register in advance here.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.