As the 30th anniversary of the seminal federal Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) nears, African American Michigan mothers and caregivers on Thursday shared their experiences and called for state paid leave legislation.
“Paid leave helps parents be more responsive to their children,” said Christina Hayes, a paid leave organizer at Mothering Justice, a Detroit-based nonprofit. She joined mothers during the mid-day virtual news conference. Hayes said that Mothering Justice is working with state lawmakers on legislation to address the issue.
“Paid FMLA is still out of reach for too many families,” Hayes added. “Paid leave should not cost you your job.”
One issue is pay inequity. Black mothers are paid considerably less than white men, according to U.S. statistics. The average Black woman in the United States who works full-time, year-round is typically paid only 63 cents for every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men.
Last month, a Michigan Court of Appeals decision overturned a July ruling by the Court of Claims that rejected 2018 changes made by Republicans in the Michigan Legislature to weaken minimum wage and sick leave laws.
The original paid sick leave initiative would have garnered workers an hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours worked, while the amended version upped that to 40 hours and restricted it to businesses that employ at least 50 people.
However, the GOP-led state Legislature approved two ballot initiatives, thus keeping the issues off the 2018 ballot,...
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