Cross-posted from the Washington Work and Family Coalition:

Tomorrow, the WA Work and Family Coalition will kick off a year-long campaign for expanding Family and Medical Leave Insurance in Washington state – and we need your support!

Currently, Washington’s Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FMLI) program is slated to begin providing benefits to parents of newborn and newly adopted children in 2015 – but only if the legislature acts to fund and finalize the program in 2013.

Tomorrow, a Legislative Work Session will highlight how other states already successfully provide paid leave for new parents, workers caring for seriously ill family members, and the worker’s own serious health condition. Special guest presenter Ann O’Leary will detail the numerous social and economic benefits of such programs.

Ann directs the Children and Families Program at The Center for the Next Generation in San Francisco, has authored numerous scholarly articles on work-family policy, and served as policy advisor to Hillary Rodham Clinton and Presidents Clinton and Obama.

If you can’t attend, please take a moment to contact your legislator with this message of support for FMLI (feel free to put this in your own words):

“Thank you for holding the work session on Family and Medical Leave Insurance. Our families have waited long enough. Please come back to Olympia in 2013 prepared to fund, expand and implement the program.”

If you can be there, please join us for the kickoff of a yearlong campaign to bring workplace standards in Washington into the 21st century:

What: Work Session on temporary disability and family leave insurance
When: Wednesday, February 29th, 8:00 AM
Where: Senate Hearing Rm 4, J.A. Cherberg Building, Olympia