Want Better Family Leave Benefits in NJ? Take Action!
UPDATE, 7/23/17: After passing in the state senate and assembly, the family leave expansion bill has been vetoed by Gov. Christie. Thank you to everyone who made calls and wrote emails to help pass this bill. What can we do now?
- Contact the sponsors of A4927 and urge them to reintroduce this bill in 2018 if they are re-elected this November, especially if you are their constituent! (Not sure who your state reps are? Find out here.)
- Vincent Prieto (D-32). 201-770-1303 or AsmPrieto@njleg.org
- Sheila Oliver (D-34). 973-395-1166 or AswOliver@njleg.org
- Reed Gusciora (D-15). 609-571-9638 or AsmGusciora@njleg.org
- Mila Jasey (D-27). 973-762-1886 or AswJasey@njleg.org
- Steve Sweeney (D-3). 856-251-9801 or SenSweeney@njleg.org
- Patrick Diegnan Jr. (D-18). 908-757-1677 or SenDiegnan@njleg.org
- Teresa Ruiz (D-29). 973-484-1000 or SenRuiz@njleg.org
- Contact all the candidates running for state election in your legislative district. Ask them if they will commit to supporting future bills to expand family leave in New Jersey.
- Democratic candidate Phil Murphy has already expressed his support for a family leave expansion. Contact Republican candidate Kim Guadagno and ask her to publicly share her stance on improving family leave for New Jersey’s workers, and urge her to support expansion.
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Help improve NJ’s family leave benefits for new parents and people taking care of sick relatives. Call in your support for bill A4927 before a committee hearing this Thursday afternoon, 6/1. Call committee chair Reed Gusciora (D-15) at 609-571-9638!
Here are your talking points:
- New Jersey needs better family leave benefits. Please support and move forward on A4927.
- New Jersey is a very expensive state. The current wage replacement cap is too low for most New Jerseyans to afford using their family leave benefits.
- We need job protection for workers who take family leave.
- Share your personal story about a time when you needed family medical leave, or about how better family leave benefits would help your family.
Though New Jersey was a trailblazer in introducing state family leave benefits in 2009, we have fallen behind. In our high-cost state, many people cannot take advantage of their family leave benefits because the wage replacement cap of $633 per week is just too low. In addition, our current family leave benefits do NOT protect workers from losing their jobs if they take family medical leave. A new bill, A4927, introduced in the state Assembly by Vincent Prieto, Sheila Oliver and Reed Gusciora, would improve family leave benefits, putting them within reach of more New Jerseyans. The bill would increase the maximum number of weeks of family leave, increase wage replacement, cover more family members, and offer more job protection.
This Thursday, June 1st, at 2pm, the Assembly Regulatory Oversight and Reform and Federal Relations Committee will discuss A4927 at a hearing at the State House. Call the committee chair, Reed Gusciora (D-15), at 609-571-9638 to voice your support for this bill, which is supported by New Jersey Citizen Action, New Jersey Policy Perspective, the Time to Care Coalition, NJ AARP, and the NJ AFL-CIO.
If you are a constituent of the other committee members, call them too! (Not sure who your state legislators are? Find out here.) These are the other members of the Assembly Regulatory Oversight and Reform and Federal Relations Commitee:
- Benjie Wemberly (D-35), 973-925-7061
- Chris Brown (R-2), 609-677-8266
- Brian Rumpf (R-9), 609-693-6700
- Cleopatra Tucker (D-28), 973-926-4320