I just got the below email about paid family leave from MomsRising and I knew you'd want to see it too. Did you know that today is the 20th anniversary of FMLA? To make the occasion, MomsRising is sending storks and story books to Congress urging them to move towards making access to paid family leave a work place standard.

You can tell *your* members of Congress to read the stories by clicking the following link and then read more about it below.


http://action.momsrising.org/sign/HappyBirthdayFMLA2/?source=taf

Thanks!

========== original email ==========

Dear Friend,

Family. It’s where you come from; it’s the people you love best.

Whether it’s for a mom who is ill, a newborn you swear already smiles, or a spouse battling cancer, being there for family is what matters.

That’s why a determined flock of moms and little ones are descending on Capitol Hill today – to mark the 20th anniversary of the Family Medical Leave Act - with a special delivery: Storks and story books filled with messages from MomsRising members across the country about the need for paid family leave.

Can you send a quick message to your United States Senators and Representatives and tell them to keep an eye out for their special deliveries?

http://action.momsrising.org/sign/HappyBirthdayFMLA2/?source=taf

The 20th anniversary of the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) is cause for celebration: The FMLA has been used an estimated 100 million times to offer unpaid, job protected leave to folks welcoming a new baby, taking care of a family member with a serious illness, or managing their own serious or chronic illnesses. [1]

But there is also a lot of room for improvement. Only about 50% of families in the United States are eligible to take FMLA [2] and a significant portion of those who are eligible to take it, can’t afford to take it, too because it’s unpaid.

Americans agree, ensuring you can care for your loved ones and not have to give up a paycheck to do it should be a national work place standard. There’s nothing more important than taking responsibility and caring for your family members. It’s well past time we honor our families and our nation by making paid time for prolonged illness, birth and adoption the law.

We all know where babies come from, and we know where laws come from too, so we're taking the time to let our legislators know how much FMLA means to us, and what we'd like to see it do next, now that it is all grown up. Can you send a quick message to your United States Senators and Representatives and tell them to keep an eye out for the stork?

http://action.momsrising.org/sign/HappyBirthdayFMLA2/?source=taf

Our storks are bearing a very special delivery - messages from you! We've compiled a comprehensive collection of stories from our member about how having – or not having – access to paid family leave has impacted their families.

Stories like Barbara’s who used FMLA when she adopted her daughter, and Gwynne who used it to be with her father in his final days, and again a decade later when her son was born. And Marya, who used FMLA to care for her 4-year-old during his chemotherapy treatments. At the greatest transitions in these mother's lives - FMLA was there. (You can read their stories and more by clicking on the link in the PS below to check out our blog carnival).

**We need our lawmakers to get busy working out details for an expanded, paid family leave, so we're sending in the stork! Let your legislators know to look out for their special deliveries and to be sure to read the stories.

http://action.momsrising.org/sign/HappyBirthdayFMLA2/?source=taf

Together we’re a powerful force for women and families.

-Ruth, Charlie and the whole Momsrising.org team.




[1] National Partnership calculation derived from U.S. Department of Labor estimates of the number of leaves taken annually. See The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993; Proposed Rule, 73 Fed. Reg. 7876, 7944 (Feb. 11, 2008) (multiplying DOL estimate of 7 million workers per year by the 19 years since FMLA enactment).

[2] Bureau of Labor Statistics Press Release: Employment Characteristics of Families 2009, May 2010