Did you know the United States is the only industrialized nation that doesn’t offer its citizens paid family leave? While a few states require companies to offer some level of paid family leave to their workers, most employees in the public and private sectors get no paid time off to bond with a new child or to address medical and family emergencies.

Would 12 weeks of paid family leave benefit you and your family? Tell us how.

Some members of Congress want to change this. They have introduced legislation that would provide all federal employees with 12 weeks of paid leave for reasons covered by the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA). These include:

• The birth, adoption, or fostering of a new child;
• Caring for seriously ill or injured family members;
• Tending to an employee’s own serious health condition; and
• Addressing health, wellness, financial, and other issues that arise when a loved one is serving overseas in the military or is a recently discharged veteran.

Providing paid family leave to federal employees will help build support for extending this benefit to all American workers and their families. That’s why AFGE strongly supports the Federal Employee Paid Leave Act of 2019 (HR 1534).

Here’s how you can help: Tell us how 12 weeks of additional paid leave would help you and your family.

No federal worker should have to decide between caring for a child or loved one and their paycheck. Implementing this paid leave bill would help foster better morale and improve employee retention by making employees feel like their personal needs and families matter.

Congress needs to hear from federal employees like you. Your stories are very important. They help put a human face to this important issue. Your stories could help convince members of Congress to support this bill by showing how it will help real people across the country.

Click here to complete a short form and submit your story. We may even feature your family’s story online!

In solidarity,

AFGE