Paid leave saves lives. NC needs to protect families.

There are crises that sneak up on you, and crises you see coming. A year ago, nobody knew what COVID-19 was, and few could anticipate the toll it would take in lives, health, jobs, and our economy. We know a lot more today. For example, it’s clear that the virus is surging to unprecedented levels, putting the medical system, where I work as a pediatrician – and our hospitals – under massive strain. The pandemic is forcing families to struggle like never before, and we have failed to stay ahead of challenges that many are facing.

It’s time to change that. Lawmakers can prevent this situation from worsening by ensuring that the emergency paid leave provisions in President Biden’s American Rescue Plan become law very soon. Workers need emergency paid leave protections to manage the pandemic’s repercussions, which are essential both to containing the surge and keeping families from crashing financially.

At a time when nearly one in four workers and nearly half of those with low incomes are without access to paid leave, Biden’s bold plan would cover workers whether they work full- or part-time, no matter their employer’s size, providing more than 14 weeks of earned sick and family and medical leave for those who have COVID-19, are getting a vaccine, or need to quarantine or care for a family member with symptoms or a child whose school or daycare program is closed. Once in place, staying home to recover or care for a family member won’t mean risking a paycheck or job.

As a pediatrician I have witnessed families struggle without paid leave; and as a mom, I used unpaid leave when my premature daughter was hospitalized in the neonatal intensive care unit for over three months. That’s why I’m especially concerned about how families have managed without access to paid leave, and how they will manage until the Biden program is in place as the virus continues to threaten us.

I hope the Biden paid leave plan will be a high priority for Congress – that members will move quickly to enact it and not weaken it in any way. I also hope, as a pediatrician, mom, and community member, that it lays the groundwork to make paid leave accessible to all workers, when pandemics are happening and when they aren’t. We all need access to paid leave, whether we are dealing with an emergency illness or the normal joys and tragedies of life such as welcoming a new child, fighting our own illness, or caring for a seriously ill loved one.

Increasingly, lawmakers here in North Carolina understand that. Last year, Gov. Roy Cooper provided paid parental leave to state employees under his purview via executive order. Not long ago, in a unanimous vote, Buncombe County passed paid family and medical leave for county employees, making it the 20th North Carolina local government, including Charlotte and Mecklenburg, to offer paid leave. Buncombe County workers now have paid leave to care for newborn children and sick family members. This is a terrific model for the state and country; however, everyone deserves access to paid leave no matter whether they work for government or a private employer.

People’s lives and economic security are on the line, and paid leave is a solution we know works. In the short term we need strong emergency paid leave protections , while the pandemic is raging. In the long term, we need a paid family and medical leave program so everyone can have paid leave when needed.

Paid leave saves lives. It’s time for North Carolina to enact paid leave legislation that covers all working families.