Join us to watch the award-winning movie Zero Weeks to hear real stories and learn compelling reasons why paid leave will help families and businesses. Hear an introduction by Dr. Robert Bruno, Professor, and Director of The University of Illinois Labor Education Program and learn about the Family & Medical Leave Insurance Act (SB835) recently introduced in Illinois Legislature from Sarah Labadie, Associate Director of Policy at Women Employed.
The United States is the only industrialized country without a federal paid leave law. That’s right, Zero Weeks of paid leave is what the USA offers in comparison to other countries, some of which offer up to a year of paid leave.
While many of us may be familiar with the FMLA, which is unpaid, and the use of paid sick days for our own sickness or after childbirth, most workers do not have access to pay when they are not at work for their own illness, after childbirth or adoption, after their partner has a child, or when they must care for a family member. Thus, unpaid workplace interruptions frequently occur, disproportionately impacting women. The consequence of these interruptions over time and in the aggregate contributes to the ongoing gender-based pay gap.
A plethora of research exists to show that Paid Leave legislation benefits families, children, employers, and, importantly, helps to reduce the gender-based pay gap.
Illinois Senate Bill 835, the Family and Medical Leave Insurance Act, sponsored by Senator Villivalam, has been introduced into the 102nd General Assembly in Illinois. This comprehensive paid leave bill has the buy-in of many important constituencies in the state. The time is now to pass this important bill in Illinois and have our state join the nine other US States and the District of Columbia with a paid leave law in place while we await legislation at the federal level.
This webinar is sponsored by AAUW Naperville Area. To attend you must register at http://naperville-il.aauw.net/.
