How Tim Walz Shows He Has Workers’ Backs – LAP
“Walz’s grasp of the challenges facing working families led directly to Minnesota’s groundbreaking ‘sick and safe time’ law, which took effect January 1, 2024.”
Minnesota lawmakers deserve credit for making paid sick days a priority. Much more expensive proposals to mandate many weeks of paid family leave are harder to enact and can end up excluding many low-wage parents. California’s family leave program is one example:
California’s paid family leave program has stiffed low-wage workers. Congress should ensure national social insurance programs do not. – CCSE …. op-ed
This Health Affairs article provides background on how “progressive” think tanks have prioritized paid family leave, which is politically targeted to help higher-income families that already have paid sick days, while failing to advance paid sick days:
Trying to develop a better, more equitable family leave program than California and other states have — which will take years and may never happen due to the cost — should not slow down efforts to make sure all workers can get some time off to go to the doctor without losing pay. Most employers already offer paid sick days, which higher-paid employees take for granted. Mandating employers that do not will result in a level playing field for those doing the right thing for their employees and their families.