Tell Congress: Don't trade Social Security for paid family leave

Petition to Congress: "Pass the Family and Medical Insurance Leave (FAMILY) Act and establish an insurance plan to provide paid family and sick leave to every working American." Add your name:

This year, Trump's budget once again included a bogus paid family leave proposal that opens to the door to Republican sneak attacks on Social Security.1 But while Trump violates the Constitution and schemes against the social safety net, progressives are proposing real, concrete plans to make our country stronger.Donald Trump's America is the only industrialized nation that fails to offer paid family and medical leave. That's not a problem if you are a Wall Street executive who can take time off when you or a relative falls ill. But for everyone else, it means choosing between a paycheck and your health or a paycheck and your loved ones. The FAMILY Act would establish an insurance plan to provide paid family and medical leave to every working American.2 At a time when working people face so many challenges, it's more important than ever to rally behind the most progressive plan in Congress. Tell Congress: We need paid family leave now. Click here to sign the petition. New parents should not have to choose between caring for their children and keeping their jobs. Yet more than 25 years after Congress passed the Family and Medical Leave Act – which requires some employers to allow employees to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave to attend to family and health-related matters the United States remains the only industrialized nation in the world that does not offer all citizens paid family or medical leave.3 The raw numbers behind that fact are staggering. Eighty-three percent of U.S. workers do not have paid family or medical leave – leaving more than 100 million people struggling when they or a loved one gets sick. Right now, low-wage earners and women make up a disproportionate number of workers without paid family and medical leave. No wonder it has support from more than three quarters of Republican, independent and Democratic voters.4 The progressive FAMILY Act would give people up to 12 weeks of paid time off, earning up to two-thirds of their regular wages, to care for new children or deal with serious family or health issues. It is funded by a small increase in payroll taxes – less than $2 per person – instead of pitting family leave and earned Social Security benefits against each other like Republican plans do.5 With Trump trying to soften his despicable image by putting paid family leave in his budget, there is more and more talk that Republicans and Democrats may come together to get something done. We need to make sure the strong, progressive Family Act is the standard for any paid family leave plan. Tell Congress: We need paid family leave now. Click below to sign the petition: https://act.credoaction.com/sign/family-act-2019?t=9&akid=34246%2E3130208%2ESjyM6z - Heidi Hess, CREDO Action Add your name: References: Emily Peck, "Trump’s Parental Leave Proposal Is Pure Hypocrisy," HuffPost, March 12, 2019. National Partnership for Women and Families, "Coalition Letter," May 6, 2019. Ibid. Ibid. Peck, "Trump’s Parental Leave Proposal Is Pure Hypocrisy."

Tell Congress: Support the FAMILY Act, not the Rubio-Trump plan to cut Social Security

Petition to Congress: “Pitting paid family leave against Social Security is a cruel false choice. Reject Marco Rubio’s plan to pay for paid family leave by cutting Social Security benefits and support the FAMILY Act instead." Add your name: At a recent congressional hearing on paid family leave, Sen. Marco Rubio outlined his brand new, Ivanka Trump-supported plan to force people to sacrifice their retirement in order to take care of their loved ones.1 It's a cruel and false choice – after all, the richest country on the planet can afford to ensure that both new parents and senior citizens are able to meet their basic needs. But dangerously, the hearing has produced a wave of coverage touting Ivanka Trump's support and the "bipartisan" interest in paid family leave.2 We need an immediate response showing support for the progressive alternative – the FAMILY Act. Tell Congress: Support the FAMILY Act, not the Rubio-Trump plan to cut Social Security. Click here to sign the petition. The Rubio-Trump bill would require people to accept a cut in their future Social Security benefits in exchange for six weeks of paid parental leave. But this false choice pits earned benefits against family needs. New parents should not have to choose between caring for their children and keeping their jobs. Yet more than 25 years after Congress passed the Family and Medical Leave Act – which requires some employers to allow employees to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave to attend to family-related matters – the United States remains the only industrialized nation in the world that does not offer all citizens paid family leave.3 The progressive FAMILY Act would give people up to 12 weeks of paid time off, earning up to two-thirds of their regular wages, to care for new children or deal with serious family or health issues. In contrast to the Rubio-Trump bill, it is funded by a small increase in payroll taxes – less than $2 per person – instead of pitting family leave and earned Social Security benefits against each other.4 The Rubio-Trump proposal is yet another cynical Republican attempt to cut Social Security benefits under the guise of helping families. It is up to us to make sure members of Congress don’t fall for this Trojan horse attack on Social Security – and instead support a real progressive alternative. Tell Congress: Support the FAMILY Act, not the Rubio-Trump plan to cut Social Security. Click the link below to sign the petition: https://act.credoaction.com/sign/rubio_paid_leave?t=7&akid=29257%2E3130208%2EN8mgrM Thanks for everything you do, Josh Nelson, Co-Director, CREDO Action CREDO Action from Working Assets Add your name: References: Social Security Works, "Ivanka Trump and Marco Rubio Want to Cut Your Social Security as the Price for Caring for Your Newborn," Feb. 5, 2018. Heather Marcoux, "Ivanka Trump champions paid family leave policy—and calls for bipartisan support," Mother.ly, July 11, 2018. Elissa Strauss, "Paid parental leave elusive 25 years after Family and Medical Leave Act," CNN, Feb. 5, 2018. National Partnership for Women and Families, "Fact Sheet: The Family And Medical Insurance Leave (FAMILY) Act," September 2017.

Sign the petition: Tell Congress don’t pit Social Security against paid family leave

The petition to Congress reads: “Pitting paid family leave against Social Security is a cruel false choice. Reject Marco Rubio’s plan to pay for paid family leave by cutting Social Security benefits.” Add your name:

Sen. Marco Rubio and Ivanka Trump are coming after your Social Security benefits. The pair is reportedly building congressional support for a proposal that would require people to accept a cut in their future Social Security benefits in exchange for six weeks of paid parental leave.1 This is a cruel false choice. The richest country on the planet can afford to ensure that both new parents and our senior citizens are able to meet their basic needs. We must build overwhelming opposition to the cold-hearted Rubio-Trump proposal before it gains traction in Congress. Tell Congress: Don’t pit Social Security against paid family leave. Click here to sign the petition. New parents should not have to choose between caring for their children and keeping their jobs. Yet more than 25 years after Congress passed the Family and Medical Leave Act – which requires some employers to allow employees to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave to attend to family-related matters – the United States remains the only industrialized nation in the world that does not offer all citizens paid family leave.2 Paid family leave is a good, progressive policy that CREDO supports. But we can’t allow Sen. Rubio and Ivanka Trump to pit paid family leave against Social Security. As Social Security Works President Nancy Altman put it, “our country can afford to increase, not cut, Social Security’s modest benefits, while also adding paid family and medical leave.”3 Under the proposal reportedly being discussed, new parents who choose to receive paid family leave would be forced to push back the date at which they would be eligible to receive Social Security benefits. The end result of such a scheme would be a cut in Social Security benefits, as individuals would receive benefits for a shorter period of time.4 The Rubio-Trump proposal is yet another cynical Republican attempt to cut Social Security benefits under the guise of helping families. It is up to us to make sure members of Congress don’t fall for this Trojan horse attack on Social Security. Tell Congress: Don’t pit Social Security against paid family leave. Click the link below to sign the petition. https://act.credoaction.com/sign/ss-trump-rubio?t=7&akid=27218%2E3130208%2E5Z6MMF Josh Nelson,CREDO Action Add your name:  Seung Min Kim, "Ivanka, Rubio find a new project: Paid family leave," POLITICO, Feb. 4, 2018. Elissa Strauss, "Paid parental leave elusive 25 years after Family and Medical Leave Act," CNN, Feb. 5, 2018. "Ivanka Trump and Marco Rubio Want to Cut Your Social Security as the Price for Caring for Your Newborn," Social Security Works, Feb. 5, 2018. Rebekah Entralgo, "Rubio’s ‘paid family leave’ plan is actually just cutting Social Security," ThinkProgress, Feb. 6, 2018.