I’m a public school teacher, and a parent of three. I believe everyone should have the opportunity to be with their children right after they are born. Families are strengthened when given the time to properly care for one another.
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"His medical bills last year were close to $1M"
Family leave is essential, and not just to people caring for kids or elders. My husband was 47 when he died late last year. That's obviously not something we ever expected to happen. Financially we were fortunate. I know most other Washingtonians are nowhere near as lucky when a health crisis hits the family.
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"Being in the hospital while in labor was against their attendance policies."
Paid family leave is essential. There has to be a balance. Life is full of unexpected moments, everyone needs that backup plan to sort it out, regain balance, and get back to business.
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"Paid family leave spells love."
When a child is born into this world, he expects certain treatment, although he doesn't know much about the place.
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"Burning through your leave in order to spend time with a new child is a luxury, but also a decision that will take years to recover from"
With the birth of my second child, I had to exhaust my sick leave during the disability period immediately following childbirth. While my son was a newborn, my husband began experiencing serious sensitivity to sound, which turned out to be a component of undiagnosed autism. As a result, he can no longer care for the children alone and we have to pay for additional childcare.
Since I returned to work, both children and I have been ill and care for all of us falls to me when a child is ineligible to go to day care. Without sick leave I have been informed that I will have to take any sick days as unpaid time.
My kids
The biggest thing I learned from all this is that burning through your leave in order to spend time with a new child is a luxury, but also a decision that will take years to recover from both in terms of accruing further leave and dealing with the expense of unpaid leave.
It is in the best interests of society for parents to have time with their new children, and this is very often financially impossible.
—Anne C., Seattle
(37th Legislative District)
"Paid Leave = Breathing Room!"
To afford someone to be a paid caregiver, some of my friends have had to moonlight on the side, also taking extra time away from the ill family member, as well as the rest of their family unit--HOW IS THIS HEALTHY FOR ANYONE
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"When I returned to working onsite, I cried in the car every day."
With my first child, I had to start working from home 10 days after giving birth, because my company was too small to have to comply with FMLA. Instead of bonding with my baby, I was editing web pages while she watched me from her bouncy chair. Babies are small for such a short period of time, and I will never get those early days back
Read MoreHope & Trump
Can you contribute today to support our "tireless advocacy" for workers rights? Last year we passed secure scheduling and raised the statewide minimum wage. This year we're committed to strike back against attacks on workers rights, and to continue making progress on issues like paid family leave.
Read MoreIt's time for paid family leave in Washington
Washington workers explain why it's time for paid family leave — in their own words.
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"Soon I won’t be able to help those grandchildren"
I'm relatively old (late 80s) and I have only social security and medicare; soon I won’t be able to help those grandchildren. I want to be sure their parents have the ability to help them get established and into good employment.
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