Oregon Just Passed The Best Family Leave Law In The U.S.

[RandySF]

Oregon just became the eighth state in the country to pass a paid family leave bill, giving 12 weeks of paid time off to new parents, victims of domestic violence and people who need to care of an ill family member or themselves.

The state Senate passed the law Sunday night, 21-6, with four Republican senators joining the Democratic majority. The state House passed the bill on June 20.

Gov. Kate Brown (D) signed the bill into law on Monday afternoon.

“In 1991, as an advocate for the Women’s Rights Coalition, I first began working on Paid Family Leave,” she said in a statement. ”Now, we can finally tell parents that they no longer will have to worry about losing their pay when they are having a baby or need to care for a loved one.”

The news comes just a month after Connecticut passed similar legislation that was considered quite generous, offering low-wage workers up to 95% of their paychecks during 12 weeks off, capped at $900 a week.

But Oregon’s law goes further: The state will be the first to pay low-income workers 100% of their wages when they’re off, with weekly benefits capped at around $1,215.

“It’s the first law that reflects if you’re paid low-wages and literally living paycheck to paycheck, anything less than 100% is going to cause financial hardship,” said Vicki Shabo, a senior fellow who specializes in paid leave at the think tank New America.



https://www.huffpost.com/entry/oregon-family-leave-law_n_5d1a372ae4b03d61163fd239

[msongs]

1. good to hear. glad to see some repubs are sane there after all nt

[highmindedhavi]

2. FMLA is abused in my workplace

The majority of FMLA at my Union shop is taken Friday through Monday, I have been forced to to work overtime to cover for people who want every weekend off, crazy

[RandySF]

3. It was there for me when I needed it most.

[highmindedhavi]

4. I agree, but

90 percent of people here take it every sat and sunday, rarely on the weekdays

[Igel]

5. It's a useful thing.

But somebody still has to pay, and if there's a job that needs to be done somebody still has to step in to do it (and if the person gets additional or overtime pay, somebody has to pay that, too).

It'll be owners making less from their businesses, investors receiving less on their investment, employees through lower pay raises or customers paying more.