Embargoed Until June 29, 2004
Paid Family Leave Coalition
CONTACT:
Ingrid Tischer, Equal Rights Advocates
415-621-0672 ext. 381
itischer@equalrights.org
Californians Have
Access to First Paid Family Leave Program in the Country
Statewide
Study Shows Broad Support for Law, Lack of Knowledge About
Accessing Benefits
SACRAMENTO – On July 1, California’s new Paid
Family Leave Law goes into effect, providing most Californians
six weeks of partial pay when taking leave from work to
care for a seriously ill parent, spouse, child, or domestic
partner, or to bond with a new baby, foster, or adopted
child. A recent study by the California Family Leave Research
Project shows that, despite extensive public support for
paid leave, only 22% of Californians are aware that they
are eligible for the benefits.
Introduced by Senator Sheila Kuehl, sponsored by the California
Labor Federation, and signed into law by Gov. Gray Davis,
this groundbreaking legislation creates the first comprehensive
paid leave program in the nation. (While the federal Family
Medical Leave Act grants 12 weeks of unpaid family leave
to eligible employees at large companies, many working families
cannot afford to take the time off work without pay.) Paid
Leave benefits are entirely employee-funded through California’s
State Disability Insurance (SDI) program and allows employees
to collect up to 55% of their salary, up to a maximum of
$728 per week, while caring for their loved ones. Employers
will pay nothing.
“I am immensely proud to have authored this historic
legislation. Paid family leave will make it possible for
thousands of Californians to meet their family responsibilities
while keeping their jobs,” said Senator Kuehl.
“Employers will be able to retain skilled employees
without having to pay for their time off. Families will
be stronger, workplaces will be stabilized and, as families
are more secure, communities will be strengthened, as well."
A state-wide study by the California Family Leave Research
Project, headed by Ruth Milkman at the University of California,
Los Angeles, reveals that slightly more than half of California
employers already provide family and medical leave benefits
beyond what is required by the current federal law and those
that do may benefit from higher employee retention rates
and reduced costs associated with recruiting and training
new employees. The study also found that while 85% of adults
surveyed favored a law guaranteeing partially paid leave,
only 22% were aware of California’s new Paid Family
Leave Law.
Paid Family Leave comes at a critical time when there
are more families that depend on two incomes than ever;
more single-parent households; and a growing number of workers
who need to care for ailing family members. Studies indicate
that of the thousands of caregivers under age 65 in California
who are juggling caregiving and job responsibilities, 15%
had to reduce their work hours and another 15% were forced
to quit their jobs to handle family responsibilities. Paid
family leave will allow these family caregivers, the unsung
heroes of the nation’s healthcare crisis, to care
for elderly parents without losing their jobs and will help
new parents give their children the time and attention they
need for a healthy adulthood.
“Study after study tells us what we already know,
that the parent-child bond during the first few months is
vital to a child’s healthy development,” said
Rob Reiner, Chair of First Five California, a commission
dedicated to improving the lives of children age 0-5. “Now
parents will have the opportunity to strengthen that critical
bond.”
California is leading the nation by demonstrating that paid
family leave is crucial to a healthy society.
