Can you believe it’s been a year already? Thanks to you and so many others, one year ago this week Washington’s Legislature passed Paid Family and Medical Leave.It means starting in January 2020, all workers in our state will be able to take 12 to 18 weeks of leave to care for a new child, a seriously ill family member, their own serious health condition, or cope with a family member’s military deployment. Do you want learn about all the details?
What’s been happening during the last 12 months? Members of the Washington Work and Family Coalition along with colleagues from the business community have been busy working with staff from the new Paid Family and Medical Leave Office to get the program off the ground, including developing computer systems, program rules, and application procedures so the program is simple and fair for both workers and employers.
PFML is an insurance-type system. Starting in January 2019, both workers and their employers will start contributing to the fund through small payroll deductions. That means a year later when people begin applying for benefits, the money will be there. You can see examples of premium and benefit amounts here.
What can you do now? Help spread the word, so everyone who needs this program knows about it!
- Share this information with your friends and coworkers.
- Invite us to come speak to your group. Please contact gabriela@eoionline.org.
- Sign up for information directly from the PFML program, and check out their factsheets here
We passed this program together, and together we can be sure it delivers to improve the health and economic security of all Washington working people and their families!
NEW RIGHTS to equal pay, pregnancy accommodations in the workplace, and paid sick and safe leave are now in effect statewide.
Learn more about these here.
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