Paid family leave celebrates its fifth anniversary in California

Today marks the fifth anniversary of California's Paid Family Leave Law, the first law of its kind in the United States. Under US law, workers can take unpaid family medical leave, but the US is one of the few countries in the world that offers no paid family leave.

California's paid family leave offers partial pay for workers who take time off to care for a newborn or a sick family member.  The state's workers fund the program through payroll deductions to the state disability fund.

According to Legal Aid Society Attorney Elizabeth Kristen, about 750,000 Californians have taken advantage of paid family leave since the law went into effect in 2004.  One of those Californians is Lorraine Peña. She is a working mother who took paid family leave to care for her father when he suffered a major stroke.

“Paid family leave allowed me to afford to take the time off work so I could go to the hospital every day and make sure he was getting the medical treatment he needed…”

Peña said she appreciates not having to choose between caring for her family and earning a wage. Attorney Elizabeth Kristen says California's program has proven itself to be a success in a state with a population the size of Canada. But she says there is more outreach and education work to be done.

“Unfortunately those most in need of benefits are the least aware of their rights. A study A recent UCLA study found that among the poorest in California, 86% were not aware of paid family leave. So the folks who most need the wage replacement are least aware of this law.”

Kristen says Latinos and African Americans are proportionately less likely to know about the family leave benefit. Since California's family leave program began, New Jersey and Washington State have implemented similar programs. According to the Paid Family Leave Collaborative, six more states, including New York and Oregon, are currently considering paid family leave.

Representative Lynn Woolsey from California recently introduced the family income bill to respond to Significant Transitions Act, or FIRST Act.  The FIRST Act would provide grants to states to develop or improve family leave programs. She says she sees the FIRST Act as a first step toward a national family leave program.

“It is an embarrassment that the United States, the wealthiest nation on the planet earth lags behind the rest of the world in providing paid leave. Shame on us. California´s good example needs to be followed by every other state and that´s why I introduced the FIRST act.”

Woolsey says she hopes the FIRST Act can be passed in 2010, once the US Congress has passed healthcare reform.