The U.S. is the only Organization for Economic Co-Operation (OECD) member nation to lack a national paid leave program. While the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) provides job-protections to workers who take leave, it only covers about 60 percent of the workforce and it provides unpaid leave. Many people cannot afford to take unpaid leave from work and must choose between their jobs or their health or the health of their families.
A well-designed PFML program allows workers to take time off from work to attend to their health needs or the needs of a loved one with pay and without fear of losing their jobs.
PFML benefits all workers, including:
- Workers who experience a long-term chronic illness like cancer or depression
- Workers who experience a non-work related injury
- Workers who have disabilities or serious health conditions
- Workers who care for loved ones with disabilities or serious health conditions
- New parents to adoptive, foster, or newborn children
NCCP has long conducted research on paid family and medical leave (PMFL) to identify policies that work well for low-income families with children. NCCP’s research focuses on the states that have passed their own PFML programs. State programs vary in terms of how they are funded, how benefits are administered, the level of paid supports, the length of leave, and which family members are covered, among other dimensions (see NCCP’s policy tracker for more details). These state variations provide a wealth of evidence on how paid leave programs should be structured to strengthen family relationships, improve maternal and infant health, contribute to family economic security, benefit employers, and increase equity in access to leave.
Publications
- The Inclusiveness of Current Paid and Family Medical Leave Policies and the Proposed FAMILY Act, 2021
- Disability perspectives on paid leave: A qualitative analysis of leave-taking among workers affected by disabilities or serious health conditions, 2019
- Meeting the promise of paid leave: best practices in state paid leave implementation, 2019
- Supporting America’s low-income working families through universal paid leave, 2018
- Bonding time: Low-income mothers and New Jersey’s Family Leave Insurance program, 2018 (limited access)
Citation: Setty, S., Skinner, C., Wilson-Simmons, R. (2018). Bonding time: Low-income mothers and New Jersey’s Family Leave Insurance program. Community, Work & Family, 23(2), 141-161. https://doi.org/10.1080/13668803.2018.1501551. - Protecting workers, nurturing families: Building an inclusive Family Leave Insurance program, 2016
- Building a competitive future right from the start: How paid leave strengthens 21st century families, 2012
- Paid family leave: Strengthening families and our future, 2012
- Paid leave in the states: A critical support for low-wage workers and their families, 2009
Past projects related to paid leave
New Jersey Parenting Project
Disability Perspectives on Leave
Public comments related to unpaid and paid leave
Response to DOL RFI on US paid leave programs, September 2020
Comment Request; Information Collections: The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, As Amended, Control Number 1235-0003, October 2019
Comments on DC Universal Paid Leave proposed regulations, April 2018
Comments on proposed WA PFL Rules, May 2018
Recent Partners on Paid Leave Work
The Arc of United States
National Partnership for Women and Families
Center for Women and Work at Rutgers University
Statewide Parent Advocacy Network (SPAN)
Advocates for Children New Jersey
New Jersey Citizen Action
New Jersey Time to Care Coalition
Contacts
Seth Hartig, Director (Family Economic Security Team)
hartig@nccp.org