WASHINGTON – Dawn Huckelbridge, Director of the Paid Leave for All campaign, issued the following statement today in support of the paid leave protections included in the HEROES ACT:
“The U.S. is only as safe as the most vulnerable worker in our society. The HEROES ACT is a crucial step in the right direction when it comes to providing workers in America the paid leave protections they need in times of global health, personal medical and caregiving emergencies. If passed, the bill would close significant loopholes from the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, protecting millions more workers under emergency paid sick days and paid leave provisions—health care and frontline workers, workers at big businesses, and many essential workers putting their health at risk to keep us all safe.
“Voters recognize that paid leave is a foundational public health and economic security issue and they want Congress to take action. New polling shows that paid leave has strong, bipartisan support among likely voters even in Senate battleground states and Frontline congressional districts. Eighty-six percent of these voters, including 86% of Independents and 74% of Republicans are in favor of paid leave. This polling demonstrates that members of the House who oppose these worker protections, or Senators who take these provisions out of the HEROES ACT, are working against large majorities of their own constituents. A robust federal policy will provide workers in this country with much-needed benefits that protect their jobs, their health, and the wellbeing of their families.
“Not only is paid leave smart policy, it’s smart politics, and voters want paid leave for all. Thank you to all the leaders who are fighting for working families and to expand these protections. On behalf of workers, we urge Congress to pass these protections into law now.”
The Paid Leave for All campaign is a growing collaborative of organizations fighting for paid family and medical leave for all working people. For more information on the Paid Leave for All campaign, visit https://paidleaveforall.org.