The current COVID-19 relief expires on December 31st, just as cases of the virus are skyrocketing across the country. Experts predict that the surge will continue through the winter. Yet again, Congress is negotiating a COVID relief package. It has never been more important for our Senators and Members of Congress to fight for emergency paid leave to be included in COVID relief. But, it’s not even on the table in current negotiations, and that is unacceptable!

Any COVID relief package that does NOT include paid leave falls woefully short of the critical relief working families need. It would leave people without pay for the time they need to quarantine and without pay for the time they need to provide essential care for their loved ones as well as for children at home because of closed schools or daycares. Workers and working families need paid leave in order to survive this pandemic and our country needs paid leave to get control of this virus. And, its important for our economic recovery.

Research has confirmed that access to paid leave has helped to curb the spread of the coronavirus. In fact, it is estimated that 15,000 fewer people per day were infected because they had access to paid sick time. In addition, a new analysis shows the cost of providing paid leave as part of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) was significantly less than originally projected. According to the Joint Committee on Taxation, extending the paid sick and paid family leave provisions in FFCRA would cost $1.8B for three months. It is impractical and self-destructive to ignore the most useful and cost-effective tool for fighting this pandemic.

If the Congress can push through a SCOTUS nominee in less than a month, surely they can take action to support families and communities devastated by the pandemic.

Let your Senators and Member of Congress know they must include emergency paid leave in this COVID relief package, fix the current loopholes to ensure everybody has access, and also include much-needed funding to save child care.

We need YOU to take action TODAY! Contact your Senators and Member of Congress and ask them to fight for paid leave for all!