One day after the Family and Medical Insurance Leave (FAMILY) Act was introduced in Congress to address the paid leave crisis in our country, organizations released a storybook demonstrating the relief this bill would provide to families in Wisconsin.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: MAY 18, 2023
MADISON, Wis. – Following the introduction of the Family and Medical Insurance Leave (FAMILY) Act in Congress on Wednesday, Family Friendly Wisconsin, Main Street Alliance and 9to5 Wisconsin released a storybook to demonstrate the dire circumstances families face in a state without paid family and medical leave.
The FAMILY Act would create a comprehensive national paid family and medical leave program and provide everyone with 12 weeks of paid leave when personal or familial health emergencies occur. Currently, over 77 percent of working people, or roughly 2,216,600 workers, do not have access to paid leave in Wisconsin.
“Our economy is not built for working families, and more often than not, folks across the Badger State are having to choose between caring for themselves and their families, and receiving a paycheck,” said Brita Olsen, state director of Family Friendly Wisconsin. “This storybook demonstrates the critical relief the FAMILY Act would provide to Wisconsin families.”
Macy Buhler, a member of Main Street Alliance who owns her own child care center in Deforest, says paid family and medical leave would minimize these difficult decisions and support essential workers.
“As an employer, paid leave would give my staff fair compensation while they take care of their health and the health of their family. It would allow me to take care of the essential workers who take care of our future leaders in a humane way,” said Buhler.
“No matter where you live or where you work, everyone should be able to welcome a new child or care for themselves or their loved ones without having to worry about paying the bills,” said Truth Freemyn, 9to5 Wisconsin associate director. “Workers across Wisconsin need and deserve the FAMILY Act to be able to participate in our workforce and care for their families.”
The Time to Care storybook is available to view here. Please contact wisconsin@familyfriendlyeconomy.org for more information or for interview opportunities with storytellers.
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About Family Friendly Wisconsin
Hardworking Wisconsin families are feeling the squeeze. Skyrocketing costs for prescription medicines, childcare, and elder care are making it harder than ever to get ahead and sometimes even pay the bills at all. That’s why Family Friendly Wisconsin is building grassroots support to pass common sense laws that make Wisconsin a healthier, more affordable place to live, work, and raise a family. To learn more about Family Friendly Wisconsin, visit FamilyFriendlyWisconsin.org or stay connected on Twitter at @FamilyWisconsin and on Facebook at Facebook.com/FamilyFriendlyWisconsin.
About Main Street Alliance
Main Street Alliance (MSA) is an organization founded by small business leaders in 2008. MSA organizes small businesses around issues that matter most for businesses, their employees, and the community they serve. MSA aims to build a powerful, self-funded, multi-racial, small business membership organization that can shift our economic narrative, wield political power, and win policy reform for small business owners, employees, and communities.
About 9to5 Wisconsin
9to5 is a grassroots nonprofit advocating for working families. We are a national organization fighting for equal opportunity for both women and men, work family flexibility through paid family medical leave, family supporting jobs with living wages, and the power of participation through equal voting rights.