Calls to Senators Needed to Help Pass the Paid Family Leave Job Protection Bill (SB 1383)
SB 1383, the bill we were fighting for last week, would have provided unpaid job protection for parents who are dealing with a school or child care closure due to a federal, state, or locally declared emergency.
Unfortunately, California legislators decided to "gut and amend" SB 1383. In other words, these protections we were fighting for no longer exist.
Now, SB 1383 has been amended to include different protections that we are now rallying support behind. The new version of SB 1383 includes job protection for those who take Paid Family Leave.
To recap, Paid Family Leave is an employee-funded program that most private sector employees pay into, but not all employees get to use this program because unless they work for an employer with a certain number of employees, they can be fired for taking Paid Family Leave.
If passed, SB 1383, would enable all employees who pay into the Paid Family Leave program to have job protection. It will remove the employee minimum that is currently excluding 40% of California workers from being able to take the paid leave that they are paying into with every paycheck.
Last night, SB 1383 passed out of the Budget Committee—barely—with 10 yes votes and 8 no votes. We know this is going to be a heavy lift to get this bill passed out of the Senate on Monday, June 29th.
We truly need as many calls going to senators between now and Monday. Ideally, before Monday.
Below is a list of priority senators to call, but please call your own senator even if they're not on the list, and ask everyone you know to call their senator about this issue. Find out who your senator is by going to: http://findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov/.
Mothers who have no choice but to go back to work a few weeks after giving birth need this bill.
People needing to care for seriously ill loved ones need this bill.
Parents who need to bond with their child and support their partner need this bill.
Our senators need to hear from us. The opposition on this bill is pushing them to vote no on this critical piece of legislation. We need them to hear our voices and remind them that they are holding power over a policy that could improve millions of people's lives.
Find Your Senator
Go to: http://findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov/.
Priority Senators that Need to Be Called (Call Your Own too)
Here's a Call Script You Can Use
Hi, my name is ____________, I live in (city or Senate District) and am with (organization if applicable).
I support SB 1383, the Paid Family Leave Trailer bill, because all workers should have job-protected paid leave. No one should have to risk losing their job for taking paid family leave to bond with their child or to care for someone with a serious health condition. As employees, we are required to pay into the CA State Disability Insurance program. Employees should be able to use a program that we pay into without getting fired.
Job-protected paid leave is essential to protect our health and the health of our family members. Without job-protected paid leave, many people in California are forced to choose between keeping their job or caring for their family. No one should have to make that choice, and especially not during a pandemic.
Personal Story here if applicable - feel free to share about your experience either being able to take or not being able to take paid leave and the impact that that had
Can we count on Senator __________ to vote YES on SB 1383?
This is Going to be a Close Vote, Your Voice Can Make a Difference
This is going to be a close vote. Please help us get this over the finish line. Once you make a call, please email us at info@workfamilyca.org or tag us on social to encourage others to call too @workfamilyca!
Photo by peterjamesanthony--1817624
