Zero Weeks (2017) - full transcript

[music playing]

Middle-class Americans, even
upper-middle-class Americans,

live paycheck to paycheck.

About half of all Americans
said they couldn't scrounge up

$2,000, even if they turned
to their relatives for help.

Many folks have expectations
that the government guarantees

them paid time off when they
have a family emergency,

and that's not the case.

Financial fragility. .
you may appear

to have a middle-class
lifestyle,

but really, you're one pink
slip or one car breakdown



away from falling into
real financial trouble.

Paid leave. . it's something
I never thought about

until I was pregnant
with my first child

at a peak in my career.

My doctor recommended that
I take 12 weeks of maternity

leave to heal after
having my daughter.

We're going to take you
right now to the house where

you're going to grow up.

Mhm.

And there's Momma
Kaisa driving you home.

Hi.

I'm in rough shape.

We just went to
Walgreens to get me

some Ibuprofen to take care
of the pain I feel down below.



But everywhere else,
I just feel love.

I consider myself
well-versed in current events

and public policy.

But when it came to paid
leave, I was misinformed.

I assumed that I could
take the 12 weeks,

and my job
would be held for me.

What I discovered, because
my company was small. .

less than 50 employees. .

I didn't qualify for the Family
Medical Leave Act, the FMLA,

which guarantees Americans
12 unpaid weeks of leave.

Though I'd been a committed,
valuable employee for 10 years,

my company didn't
have to do anything.

I could have been
forced to return to work

within days of having
my baby, or even the next day,

in order to keep my job.

Many women do.

Almost all men do.

To weather six weeks
of unpaid leave,

we had to deplete our savings.

Then I went back to work.

It was way too soon.

Though I thought I'd
be ready, I wasn't.

Physically, emotionally, it
was the most difficult thing

I'd ever been through.

I felt like my heart was
living outside of my body,

and I was abandoning her.

My wife also didn't have any
paid leave or unpaid leave.

She had to go back to work
within two days of bringing us

home from the hospital.

We couldn't be home when
we both most needed to be.

And we were the lucky ones.

Millions of women
go back to work

within days of having a baby,
barely able to walk.

Millions more Americans
drop out of the workforce

prematurely to help
an aging parent

through a single surgery.

There are workers who go
bankrupt because they can't

keep their job while battling
cancer and parents forced

to leave critically injured
children in hospital rooms

alone while they
go back to work.

Every day, Americans make
the unconscionable choice. .

do I keep my job or take
the time needed to heal?

Paid leave is part of the
economic and social fabric

of the entire
industrialized world,

except the United
States of America.

People know that the
Western European countries

are doing better on these
policies than we are.

But countries like Estonia,
Lithuania, Bulgaria. .

Vietnam has a generous
paid leave policy.

China has paid leave.

Chad has a generous
paid leave policy.

We and only one other
country are the only ones

that don't have any paid leave.

It's Papua New Guinea
and the United States

in a league of their own.

We are a great nation.

We do a lot of things very well.

But in terms of paid
family and medical leave,

we are far, far, far behind.

Why is it that the rest of the
world has figured this out,

and we haven't?

We are a great and
mighty country.

The US boasts the
world's largest economy

and the most powerful military.

But of the 39
industrialized countries,

we rank 34th
in life expectancy,

28th in gender equality,

and dead last in maternal
health, child health,

and family-friendly policies.

When it comes to
happiness, we rank 19th.

Hundreds of experts think paid
leave is the missing piece.

Paid family and medical leave
differs from paid sick days,

which we use for routine
illnesses that require

only a few days for recovery.

Paid family leave
covers a longer amount

of time, usually weeks,
to tend to a new child,

serious illness, or
aging family member.

Small businesses
overwhelmingly support it.

83% of Democrats support it.

Paid family leave. . this is
something that must happen.

71% of Republicans support it.

You are from a
right-leaning think tank,

and you like this as well.

We believe that the US
needs a paid family leave

policy at the federal level.

I think that should be a
national American policy,

that we value women,
that we value families,

that we value new
babies in this country.

While this issue used
to be on the fringe

of our public discourse,
it is now central to it.

But while support for
paid leave is prevalent,

so is the misinformation
surrounding it.

And most people just don't
think about paid leave

until they need it.

And at some point in their
lives, most people will.

Every worker in
this country will

have a life event, an ill
family member, a sick spouse,

a dying parent, or a new child.

It's proven.

Everyone can use paid
family leave, everyone.

Hi, Riley.

Hi.

This one says,
Hop on Pop, by Dr. Seuss.

"Mouse, house, mouse on house.

House, mouse, house on mouse. "

You see the mouse?
It's carrying the house.

"All tall, we are tall.

All small, we are small. "

Jasmine actually has
been working with me

for about four years.

She's really good with the kids.

She's very creative.

The children all
gravitate towards her.

They love her to death.

Good job, Charlotte.

She's very patient.

She's very in tune with
the children's needs.

And then this is some
of her hair, right here.

Oh.

There you go.

You want to help, Miss Victoria?

When she told me
she was pregnant,

I was a little shocked.

I was happy for her.

My boyfriend,
his name is Julian.

We've been together for
about two years now.

My boyfriend is a
full-time student,

and he plays basketball.

Julian wants to be a
sports psychologist.

And one day, I'm like, I
want to work with kids.

My plan is to marry Julian,
nobody else, because I never

want to change my last name,
and we have the same last name.

So that's perfect.

So this is my keepsake
chest for my daughter.

This is mine when I was a
baby that my mom did for me.

Here's some pictures.

And my brother cut my
hair when I was little,

so she kept my hair.

My mom, my dad, and they
just wrote some things,

like how they felt
when they first met me.

Julian, he's pretty excited.

But we're both new
at this parent thing.

I'm 20, and he's 22.

They're so tiny.

What really excites
me about being a mom

is doing everything that I
didn't get to do with my mom.

So I see other people on TV.

I'm like, oh, I wish I
did that with my mom,

like the whole nails thing.

My mom was always working,
so we didn't always

get a chance to do that.

Charlotte took it.

Charlotte took one.

Yellow.

Two yellow.

Can I have one more yellow?

OK.

Working here for so
long, this is my home.

This is a second house to me.

The kids, they're
like my own kids.

They're family.

I don't want to have to go
and find that somewhere else.

As a small business
owner, there is nowhere

that we can go but
besides our own pockets

to provide any
type of paid leave.

Immediately, you start
thinking about, OK,

what am I going to
do when she leaves?

While she's on
maternity leave,

I'm not able to provide her
any type of payment.

So then it's like,
I worry about, well,

is she going to be OK?

Hi, Amika?

-Hi, yes.
-Nice to meet you.

Hi.

So why don't you come on in, and
we'll just sit down and chat,

and then you can tell
me a little bit more

about yourself and
all that you feel

you can bring to the company?

OK.

My head is everywhere right now.

I don't know what
I'm going to do.

It's very important to me to
actually work and make money.

I think I will
probably be having

to go back to work early as
three weeks after I have her.

If she hires somebody
else in my place,

she might actually start
to really like her,

and the kids might
really gravitate to her.

And I might not have a job to
come back to after I have her.

So that's really a big
issue for me right now.

I'm just thinking
about how I'm going

to afford things right now.

Financially, I'll probably
be using most of the money

that I did save up that I
was trying to save for a car.

I do try to give my
employees sick time.

I take it into consideration.

I'll just take the loss.

But there's about so
many losses a person

can take before their business
goes completely under.

There's no funding.

There's no grant that
would be maybe a cushion

that I could pull from
when my employees need it.

Everything comes from the
cushion of my pockets.

And once it's
depleted, I won't be

able to not only do
for myself, but I

wouldn't continue to be
able to do for them, either.

Paid family medical leave is a
great equalizer for everyone,

including for our communities
and our businesses.

While only 14% of
people have access

to this policy through their
employer overall, only 5%

of low-wage workers do.

So many people worry
that paid leave will

sap business, hurt our economy.

It's some kind of giant
giveaway to families.

The reality really is that
it's a benefit people earn.

Paid family leave is
an insurance program.

Here's how it works.

We know this because it's
already going in a few states.

There's this very small
payroll deduction that

comes out of your paycheck.

That goes into a big fund.

And when you need
paid family leave,

you get paid out of
this insurance fund.

It's insurance.

It's a fund that
will pay for itself

and would be there for all
workers if they need it.

During that time, your
business can stop paying you.

And then what do they
do with that money?

Well, they can hold
onto the money,

or they can use it to pay
overtime to existing employees,

or they can hire a temp.

They have choices.

A lot of them just
hold onto the money.

And so the statistics
are showing

that businesses love it.

It can't be that
whether or not you

have access to
paid leave depends

on what employer you work
for, what part of the country

you live in.

It can't be a boss lottery.

The truth is, if we just
leave it to employers,

some employers will
do it, and many won't.

I mean, that's the
system we have today.

For small businesses
in particular,

these costs can be
relatively high in comparison

to large businesses.

They often have few employees.

Any individual employee leaving
the workforce for a period

of time is a challenge.

And so having a national paid
leave policy where everyone

buys in, where it's
an insurance plan,

that makes it accessible
to that worker who

has three or four
different jobs,

to the small business that only
has two or three employees.

It makes it accessible to
all companies, all employees,

regardless of what
kind of work they do.

All right, so it's
Christmas Eve.

And we are about
five minutes away

from surprising my
sister that I'm pregnant,

though I think she
suspects that I am,

and Grandma, or Meme, and
Dad, my parents, with the fact

that it's twins.
I think. .

Seriously. .

my mom. . what is
she going to say?

When it's twins?

I think Courtney's. .

Oh, are you fucking kidding me?

Oh. .

They're having twins.

Are you fucking kidding me?

-She's gonna flail everywhere.
-And then lose her mind.

-She's going to lose it.
-God!

Oh my god.

Look under there.

Oh my god.

And I think Dad's
going to do that thing,

when he's pleasantly surprised.

Wow.

But we're going to surprise
Grandma and Grandpa

Wilson on Christmas Day.

One, two, three.

Tell my parents, well, we have

one more gift for you guys.

It's your first
grandparent gift.

Wait a minute.

Are you telling us. .

Look at the picture
of them together.

Oh shit.

What?

-Them?
-Yeah.

Oh shit.

This used to be .

Oh shit.

Yeah.

Oh, OK.

Does everybody know it's twins?

Yeah.

We met at the
University of Georgia

my senior year,
her sophomore year.

This is our first date night.

Remember when
frosted tips were in?

Oh, this was our first trip
to Chicago, went ice skating,

saw Blue Man Group.

It's all coming back to me.

Little did we know, we'd
move here permanently

eight years later?

I have no idea what I'm going
to do with little girls.

You can think you're going
to raise a little princess,

and she turns into a
tomboy, or you think,

I'm going make her a tomboy.

You end up with a closet filled
with little princess dresses.

I work in sales.

Maternity leave
was never really. .

it never occurred to me.

I never really researched it.

And I actually asked my boss.

He goes, well, I
couldn't breastfeed,

so that's why I
didn't stay home.

I'm just really excited.

I've always known I
was meant to be a mom.

Today we just had our
18-week scan of the babies.

And they are healthy
and beautiful

and growing perfectly.

And I'm very, very happy.

And Wrigley's happy, too.

And this is what
he does sometimes.

He sits on my belly and
protects the babies.

My company's just really great.

They do pay for one month
paid maternity leave.

I'll be able to
take some time off,

but I think it would
be frowned upon.

California, Rhode
Island, and New Jersey

have already had paid leave
policies in their states

for years, California
for over a decade.

In these states, employees
pay into the plan.

The cost to them is less than
a cup of coffee per week.

New York and Washington,
DC, might be next in line

to pass paid leave.

A push to make paid family leave
mandatory in New York state

is gaining momentum now.

Well, its opponents say this
plan could be bad for business,

but supporters say
people should not

have to choose between
paying their bills

and taking care of a newborn
baby or sick loved one.

Many of the same
people fighting

for paid leave in those places

and all over the country
are the same people

who have been fighting for
paid leave for decades.

Are you from New York?

You live in New York?

Yeah.

OK, so I want to talk to
you about this great thing.

We're getting people
to sign postcards

to their senator
saying, yes, I want

people to be able
to be good parents

and good children
without going broke.

OK, that's all I
have to do to sign?

-That's right.
-OK.

And then we'll send this
in to your senators.

-So this one says VNA.
-OK.

Get in touch with her.

She's a visiting nurse,
and she's probably

got really good stories.

OK, that's good.

We're the state affiliate

with the New York
Paid Leave Coalition.

We work with
Ellen Bravo a lot, coordinate

on some of the national bills.

Depending on what
size company you

work for, 40% of the
workforce doesn't even

have a guarantee that
they'll get their job back,

much less that they'll get. .

-After having a baby?
-Yeah.

-Oh my gosh.
-I know.

It does seem pretty amazing.
This is what the law says. .

Ellen Bravo has been
advocating for paid leave

since the early '80s.

We cannot allow a parent's
presence during the day

in their toddler's hospital
room to be their work number

on a whiteboard
because their family

would take a financial
hit otherwise.

What you want is agents in here.

Let's go back to the single
mother with the two kids.

She's the one who's
working at the brewery

because she needs to
make a decent living.

Companies are prospering because
they treat people with respect.

I don't know if you
realize what you're saying.

What you're saying. .

I always realize
what I'm saying.

Well, all right.

So I wanted to just
end by telling you

about Melissa Broome in
Maryland, whose son recently

had surgery, four
years old, Owen.

He's going to be OK.

But as they led him on a
red wagon through the halls,

they saw a lot of kids
who were much sicker.

Owen didn't ask, why
is that kid bald,

or why is that kid
hooked up to a machine?

But he did ask, why
is that kid alone,

and where is that
kid's mommy and daddy?

It's going to be very
difficult to cure all

the ailments of those children.

It should not be at
all difficult to get

bipartisan support so
that every family knows

they can have someone
holding their hand

and whispering in their ear
when they're poked and prodded

when they're ill.

Thank you so much.

The first major step
toward paid leave

was unpaid leave,
the Family Medical Leave Act.

Well, the FMLA was a great
step in the early 90s.

And I applaud President Clinton.
It was a long time coming.

The law guarantees the
right of up to 12 weeks

of unpaid leave per year when
it's urgently needed at home.

The Family and Medical
Leave Act is unpaid leave.

Unpaid, with a guarantee that
you can get your job back.

40% of Americans don't even
qualify for FMLA unpaid leave.

You have to work for a company
with 50 or more employees.

You have to work more than 25
hours at the same job per week.

So if you're part
time or freelance,

it doesn't apply to you.

You have to have been
there for over a year.

And of those who do qualify,
48% can't take unpaid leave

because they can't afford
to go without a paycheck.

That means only about
2 in 10 Americans

can even take unpaid leave.

When people think of
paid family leave,

they often think of
it in the context

of new mothers or new parents.

Paid leave is
important, first of all,

if you have your own illness.

What if you have an accident?

What if you discover you have
some serious chronic disease?

Do you want some pizza?

Yeah, and ice creams.

Oh, pizza and ice creams?

You going to wear
pants tomorrow,

your uniform pants,
your homework pants?

-No.
-No?

What are you going to wear?

-Some dresses.
-A dress?

But it's going to
be cold tomorrow.

Go to college, because I say so.

Watch me learn, learn.

Watch me grow, grow.

Forehead kiss.

I have a three-year-old
girl, Kehlani.

We call her Diva.

She answers to it.

And that name follows her well.

[ . ] that you've
worked for your people.

Let us now be instruments of
your kingdom building on Earth,

that the kingdom might come
on Earth as it is in Heaven.

[singing]

I've always been
spiritual, but when

I got diagnosed with
cancer and started

going through the
chemo and stuff,

I've never called on
Him so much in my life.

I have too much to live for
to just give up and be like,

I can't do this.

You're a butterfly?

Yes, and I have wings.

It's a whole lap.

I'm hurting all day.

I've known Kesha over 20 years,
and she's my inspiration.

She inspires me, her
strength and everything

she's gone through.

It's painful for me to see her
have to get up to go to work,

knowing she's in pain.

I have to work, no matter
how I feel in the morning.

You can go through my
emails now, and then

go through my draft box.

I have so many emails
that I have drafted up

in the mornings getting ready
to send to my supervisor

and say, I'm not coming in, but
then be like, I've gotta go in.

There's times where I don't
want to do it or really feel

as though I can't do it.

I can't pick you up.

You know I can't pick you up.

Yes you can.

You say yes I can?

I wish I could, honey.

You know if Mommy
could she would.

We're tired.

We was at the doggone
circus last night.

I am exhausted.

Y'all ready?
Come on, girls.

I'm a program support
assistant slash attendance

coordinator for DC government.

I've been with
them for 19 years.

Even though I'm the
one with the cancer,

and I have to deal with it,
this life is not about me.

This life doesn't even
revolve around me.

This revolves around
my family, Kehlani.

You want a muffin?

Want a sandwich?

I don't want her to suffer
for what I'm going through,

because she loves school.

She goes to an all-girls school.

Then she loves her teacher
and is always like, Mom,

I'm going to go see my girls.
Yeah, we're going that way.

We're going to cross over.
Come on.

These are Kehlani's
little girlfriends,

some of her classmates.

This is Angel, and this is Jada.

Their mom is going
through a lot, also.

So I'll just take them for. .

Good morning.

-Good to see you.
-Mommy love you.

It's going to be all right.
Today is Tuesday.

These are some extra supplies
they needed for the classroom,

for Ms. Darby's class.

-Darby?
-OK.

-Uh-huh.
-Thank you so much.

Thank you.
Have a good day, pumpkin.

Go ahead.

Go ahead into your class,
and you can warm up, baby.

Breast cancer is very painful.

When I first met
with my oncologist,

his recommendation was
for me to go on disability

throughout my whole treatment.

Realistically, that's
not something I could do.

Disability would only
pay me $1,600 a month.

My rent is $1,100, electric,
gas, all the necessities,

groceries.

I don't get no assistance from
the government or anywhere.

Everything comes
out of my pocket.

That worry of me choosing
between work, kids, roof, food,

that's an everyday struggle.

You're looking gorgeous.

Thank you.

Always.

FMLA was always an option.

It covers the job, yes, but it's
not bringing no paycheck in.

I need a paycheck.

I have to go to work.

I went to work every day
and left on my lunch break,

and did radiation and
went back to work.

Most of the offices are
not open on weekends,

so there's no
weekend appointments.

Can I get a cup
of hot lemon water?

What did you say?

A large cup of hot lemon water.

People out here that's
going through worse

than what I'm going through,
so no need to complain.

I would get chemo that Thursday,
go back and get the shot

that Friday, and I had Saturday
and Sunday to heal.

So most of the time, I was
back at work that Monday.

Hi.

You're a superstar today.

I'm a superstar every day.

Don't you know that?

I'm still not healed from
my surgery last year.

So she's gone through
several infections.

Several times, she's had
to be re-hospitalized.

But then, when she
goes in the hospital,

that's when she gets her rest.

If the employers would
have just went on

and gave me these
two months off,

I would be on a different level
while I'm at work, instead

of me being at work and
just in constant pain

and struggling to
get my work done.

Hi, pumpkin.

Mommy.

Hi.

And it's beneficial for
not just the employee,

but it's really beneficial
for the employer, also.

You can't be very productive
if you're in a lot of pain.

You going to have a good day?

I have a whole lot
of healing to do,

but I can't heal if I
can't stay home to rest.

I can't stay home to rest
because I have bills to pay.

Oh, be careful.

What are you going to do?

What are we going to do today?

Come on.

When I first had her,
I was just so excited.

She came out with so much
hair, and it's just so pretty.

And she has sandy brown
hair, like I have.

Look, Tory, you can wake up.

Wake up so you can
see your auntie.

Oh, is she wearing jeans today?

OK, Ashley.

So have you been tired?

I warned you you'd be tired
for the rest of your life.

Well, yes.

I'm exhausted, pretty much.

My naps are like long blinks.

They're just like. .

I wanted to go back
to work, thinking

I was going to be able to go
back to work in two weeks.

That was ridiculous.

I couldn't sleep, not
even the first day,

just even worrying about her.

I was nervous about everything.

And then my body
was really drained.

Tory's dad, he's been
really supportive,

even though he's in
school full time.

But he also plays
basketball full time.

So he'll be leaving us for
three days to go to Miami,

but he'll be back.

How's the job search going?

I did online applications,
like the mall.

Yeah, so they had a
cashier, fragrance advisor,

makeup advisor,
seasonal, temporary.

I might even cry,
probably, when I go back

to work, because I'm used to
being with her all the time.

And she was with
me for nine months.

Right now, I think my
body's just readjusting

to back to its original state.

I did think about
having an abortion,

but I couldn't do that.

I'm so against it.

I mean, I'm not against
anybody else getting it,

but for me, I just
couldn't do it.

And my mom, she didn't
even want to have

that conversation at all.

Today I want to look for
any jobs that are hiring.

That's a "now hiring"
sign right there.

You can stop right here.

Excuse me.

Do you have any applications?

This is my first
time being a mom.

I think it's going to be
extremely hard to go back.

Think about having
a baby, a time that

should be such a wonderful,
joyful time for a woman,

a family.

Oftentimes, it results in a
family plunging into poverty.

It's so unpredictable.

None of us know what's
going to happen tomorrow.

We don't know if we're
going to have an accident.

We don't know if
the parent we love

is going to need
major heart surgery.

Imagine what happens when
those things occur, and you

discover that you don't
have the time off.

You just don't expect to
go into labor, obviously,

six months in.

From the moment her
water broke, the girls

were both born
within 15 minutes.

They were born about
two, three minutes apart.

Riley lived for 45
minutes to an hour.

Ashlyn lived for four
and a half hours.

I remember when we knew we
were going to lose them.

Nurses kept saying, do you
have a hat or a blanket

that you'd like them to wear?

And I kept saying,
no, because I thought

I had three months
of pregnancy left.

So I felt. .

I don't know why.

I think that's just a mom thing.

I just felt really bad that I
didn't have anything for them.

But they have this
volunteer group,

I think, at the hospital
that crochets them and stuff

for situations like this.

The doctor was looking
at her, and he's

like, you can't leave her alone.

She needs someone to be
with her all the time.

I reached out to HR,
and she said, well,

it's three days for death of
an immediate family member,

but technically you get six days
because there were two deaths.

I think of six days, and I
just wanted to be like, OK,

do you want me to tell
you what the first six

days was like for us?

Day one, you're holding your
children while they die.

Day two, you wake up, relive
the nightmare all over again.

You go home to package slips
that you have a delivery,

and it's two car seats
from his aunt and uncle

from our registry.

Day three, you have to find
some way to memorialize them,

and you realize you never. .
you don't want to do a funeral,

and there's no time.

So we had a little memorial,
threw pink tulips into the lake

and wrote letters to them.

Day four, you have to get
all the paperwork done.

You have to go to
the funeral home.

Which means getting them. .
you've got to pick out their. .

Picking out an urn.

Day five, his family left.

Day six, my family left.

So those were our six days.

How did the United States
become so out of sync

with the rest of the world
when it comes to paid leave?

There is no simple answer.

Consider it a mix of American
individualism, Quaker

capitalism, corporate lobbying,
and an honorable fixation

with our own bootstraps, all
mixed with a splash of world

history.

A lot of it goes
back to World War II.

During World War II, you
had a large number of women

enter the workforce.

Men left to go overseas.

Women went into the factories.

They went into the workplace.

Now, in Europe,
when the war ended,

you had huge swaths
of the population

that were completely decimated.

And so there was a
need at that time

not only for women to work
and continue working but also

for women to be bearing children
just to, in essence, repopulate.

And so Europe began to develop
much better leave policies.

Here, on the other hand,
the issue just dissolved.

And it wasn't really for
another couple of decades

before you even
really started to get

into any serious
consideration of family leave

as an important issue.

Another reason paid
leave has gotten stuck

in the cogs of Washington. .

its philosophy is similar to
Medicare and Social Security.

Everyone has to
participate for it to work.

That's a tough sell.

The people of the United
States have joined together

in a great national
program of protection

for the common welfare.

A little money coming
in when earnings stops

helps keep the wheels
of industry turning.

Social Security and
Medicare were fervently

debated before becoming law.

These programs were
decried as socialism.

But today, both are
overwhelmingly popular

social safety nets that
reflect our core values.

Paid leave is at
the heart of what

we value most as a
society, or at least

what we say we value most.

If you believe in family
values, if you understand

the worth of family. .

America cannot long lead the
family of nations if we fail

the family here at home.

And we see the family
continue to break down.

We need a serious discussion
of family values,

real family values.

I've been working on this
for more than three decades.

There are number of reasons
why the United States lags

behind the rest of the
world in paid leave,

but a big one is the role
of corporate lobbyists.

This is really different from
how other countries work, money

in politics.

They go to these
politicians and say,

we will call you anti-business
if you support this policy.

We've surveyed
employers in California

who have had paid
leave for 10 years.

Overwhelmingly,
90% of businesses

said no negative impact
on their bottom line

or a positive impact.

And they say, in terms of morale
and retention and goodwill,

99% support it.

Small businesses
are the backbone

of the American economy.

In fact, more than half
of the US workforce

is employed
by a small business.

Most of these workers are
not covered by the FMLA,

let alone by paid leave.

And despite the myth that paid
leave hurts small businesses,

many of them are offering
some paid leave on their own,

even though it's not required
by law in their state.

Even though we're smaller than
a company size who gets FMLA,

In These Times offers 13
weeks of fully paid maternity

and paternity leave.

Part of the reason
for doing that

was to maintain
and keep employees.

I think Rachel might
have left if we had not

had good maternity leave.

She's really valuable to
us because she just gets

the magazine out every month.

She's also our
longest-time employee,

so she has this incredible
institutional memory.

Certainly, Rachel could
double her salary, possibly

more than that with
her experience.

If they had no maternity
policy, I would probably

have definitely left.

Hi, how are you doing?

There's menus.

We always hated working
in restaurants where

people would come to work sick.

It was very acceptable
to go to work sick.

It would be interesting
if there was

a big sign in the restaurant
when you walked in that said,

the people who work here do
not get paid if they're sick,

so there's probably
some sick people

making your food right now.

So we had started with
two paid sick days

for every employee per year.

We added paternity leave
about a year and a half later.

-Maternity and paternity.
-Right.

Our employee, Mari, had a
baby a couple of months ago.

And she has been with us
since the day we opened.

Josh and Christine
told me, you're

going to have three
months leave, oh,

and you're going to have
paid maternity leave.

So when they said that,
I had a huge amount

of just stress just fall off me.

I think about my future,
but I don't see myself

at another job.

I see myself growing more with
Honey Butter Fried Chicken.

It usually works out.

I mean, everybody sees the value
in everybody taking time off.

So whether you're
taking paternity leave,

or you're taking a
vacation, or you're sick,

we kinda just all pitch
in and help out.

I think that these
are long-run expenses.

Health insurance and paid time
off certainly cost us money,

but we built it into the
structure of our business

because it's not
a viable business

if you can't take care
of the people that

are working for you.

We're a mechanical electrical
design consulting firm.

When I came here 18 months ago,
there wasn't any paid leave.

So STEM is Science, Technology,
Engineering, and Math.

It's a male-dominated field.

The ratio is roughly
85% men and 15% women.

Studies tell us
that 40% of women

leave the engineering
field around mid-career.

Once they start wanting
to have a family,

they realize the conditions
that exist in that industry

don't support doing both.

But to run a business,
you have to be profitable.

So we looked at cost.

We had to understand
that there's

a cost for doing something,
but there's also a cost

for not doing something,
a higher employee

turnover, absenteeism.

That's what led us to
pass this leave benefit.

We just found out
not that long ago

that we were going
to have paid leave.

And it's obviously very
relevant to my situation.

I feel like a big win when it
comes to this paid family leave

policy has to do with
allowing our men to take

some serious time off
when they have children

or when they have a
sick family member.

Encouraging the
men to do it makes

sure it's OK for
the women to do it

and they don't feel like they're
missing out on their career.

So having a paid family leave
policy for men and women

is so important to
the greater goal

of seeing more women in the
workforce and in leadership.

I don't want any
of my employees who

are helping me grow
my business to feel

that they can't take off.

I think the biggest concern
that I've heard from people

is that they're afraid for
any of their employees abusing

the system.

People aren't staying home
because they're just partying.

People stay home because
something bad happens.

It's also important time to
really spend with their family

when it comes to paternity
or maternity leave.

In a business, there are
two things that matter.

It's obviously the
bottom line matters,

and how you run your
business also really matters,

and that that
affects the business

in many mysterious ways.

Every one of our coalitions
has small business owners

as partners.

And that's because they really
want this for their staff

but can't afford to
do it on their own.

They understand the
need for this policy.

I am the owner operator
of Bright Start Early

Care and Preschool.

I'm very passionate about
benefits for my staff.

When I heard about paid family
leave, it was a no-brainer.

Anything that's going to
benefit them, I think not just

benefits them but
benefits us and benefits

our clients, the parents.

So I decided to be an advocate.

Some point or another,
we're all going to need it.

Even you as an owner
is going to need it.

You take time away
from your business,

you'll still be getting paid
while your business is still

functional.

All we need is for the
government to pass it.

There is another group of
working people who actually

need paid family leave support,
the millions of Americans

who provide care for their
aging parents or spouses.

We are in the midst of an
unprecedented elder boom.

Every eight seconds,
another Baby Boomer

turns 65 in this country.

By the year 2025,
one in five Americans

will be over the age of 65.

We're rapidly aging.

And at the same time,
we have less people

that are available to be
able to care for people,

especially aging adults
over the age of 80,

when they need more
supports and services.

You want some sugar?

I'm going to get
sugar all the time.

Yeah, I do.

I had knee surgery
on the 28th of March.

They did a complete
knee replacement.

The reality is
that we don't have

enough health professionals to
care for our aging population.

So we will need to rely on
family members and caregivers

to resolve this growing need.

Hey, Ma.
It's me.

Come on in.

How are you doing today?

All right.
How are you doing, Ma?

I'm all right.

Good. How are you feeling?

I'm feeling all right.

-You took your medicine?
-Yes.

Donna is my daughter, and
she works five days a week.

She comes every day, just about.

I lost my eyesight. .

it'll be six years in May.

I come in to check on my mom.

I leave early enough
to come check on her,

make sure she's not
in any pain and she

don't need to go to the doctor.

But I do have to come check
on her every single morning.

On the weekends, I spend
the night with her.

She always told us, please,
whatever we do, never

put her in a nursing home.

And I definitely
will honor that,

because that's one of her fears.

She don't want to
be a burden on us,

but she definitely don't
want to go to a nursing home.

Often, we think of
caring for aging parents

as the absolute extreme of
having to put them in a nursing

home or that they're at
the end of their lives,

when in reality, most aging
adults are healthy and are

thriving and want to do well
but do need additional supports

from time to time.

They may undergo surgery, and
they need some recovery support

for a few weeks.

They may experience
an injury that will

take a week or two to heal.

I mean, there's lots
of different ways

we need to be thinking
about the kinds of supports

that aging adults
need in America.

OK, this is your vitamin B12.

You take one of these a day?

-Mhm.
-OK.

It's a struggle trying to go
to work plus take care my mom.

Paid leave would have helped
me out a tremendous amount.

I could have spent more
time caring for her

and taking her where
she needs to go.

It's very, very difficult
for me as well as my family.

We know that when an older adult
has support from a relative

or from a caregiver, they
are more likely to take care

of their chronic illnesses.

The longer people
stay at home and age

in place, the healthier
and the better

and the longer they live.

I would have ended up
probably in a home some place,

a nursing home or
something, because I

couldn't take care of myself.

It's very important
to stay in my own home

because I have independence.

It keeps me much
happier, and it keeps

me more that I can do
some things for myself.

If caregiving support
is not available,

seniors are likely to be
placed in a nursing home

or in an assisted
living facility where

the cost triples, if not
more, to care for that person.

The national average cost of
a semi-private nursing home

is about $82,000 a year.

What family in this day and
age can afford $82,000 a year?

The national average cost
of a home health care aid

is about $42,000 a year.

Close to 2/3 of our
current workforce

provide care for an
older family member.

Those numbers are just going
to keep growing, given, again,

how rapidly aging
we are as a nation.

You want me to peel the orange?

You want your orange?
You haven't eaten anything.

-You want some orange?
-Yeah, I want the orange.

OK, I'm going to peel
it for you, all right?

All right.

Fundamentally, the
challenge that we're facing

is that too many
families are having

to make options
between continuing

to work or to care give.

And there's not a family
that can afford to not work,

and there's not enough
caregiving options

that are really affordable and
accessible for most families.

OK, have a seat.

Wonderful, wonderful.

So I love these
photos of my guys.

This is when they
were pretty little,

maybe less than two and five.

And the thing I love, no
matter what age they are,

wherever they are,
they're always hugging.

-Leaf.
-I think I said it first.

I reached it first.

[inaudible]

Leaf.

Cactus.
Come on, you guys.

One of the first things
I realized about Ellen

is how committed she
is, how driven she

is for righteousness,
social justice.

The first thing that
drew us together

was activism in the '70s.

We've been together
over 40 years.

We're our best allies.

30 years ago, my husband
and I, we moved to Milwaukee

because Larry's mother died.

I knew, since I
type really fast,

I could get a job at
the phone company.

The woman who hired
me said, you need

to know that you can't
be sick for five years.

I just thought, this is insane.

I tried really hard to train
my kids to get sick only

on the weekends or at night,
but I failed completely.

And also, I had no paid
leave when my kids were born.

I thought, there's got
to be a better way.

I already considered
myself to be an activist.

I thought, this is where I
want to focus my activism.

I've always wondered,
what would be

that moment where my
parents just relax

and drink tea all day?

But then, as long as there is
these inequalities happening,

my mom is going to do everything
she can to change that dynamic.

Hopefully victories.

Three places that could win
this year, DC,

Connecticut, New York state.

My days vary so much.

It's everything from connecting
people, troubleshooting,

helping people share
best practices.

Lots of times, we're
on conference calls,

either with the leads in the
states or state legislator.

You may have seen
today's New York Times.

Did you see?

"Family Leave Gains Traction,
But Workers Still Struggle. "

She's talking about how minimal
what we're fighting for is.

So I often talk to reporters.

This isn't my mom's job.
This is who she is.

This is what she'll do
till the day she dies.

And I think she won't
die because her work will

have spread to many people.

Hi, Tory.

Mommy got a job today.

Yeah, I'm excited.

It's going to be a
lot of work, though.

Yeah.

I work at a shoe store,
and I pretty much just

straighten the shoes
up, help customers

find what they're looking for.

It takes about four hours
to get to work and back.

Even if I get up early enough to
get Tory where she needs to go,

and I'm ready, and I'm
waiting at the bus stop,

the bus does not
always come on time.

It varies.

It could take me three
hours to get to work,

or sometimes it could take
me an hour to get to work.

It really varies on
the bus schedule.

Sometimes I fall
asleep on the bus.

And that was the worst,
because I was so scared.

I would wake up.

I missed my stop probably
three times in a row.

And, yeah, I was
late because of that.

It's the worst feeling,
because you think you're ready,

and you think you're normal
again, but walking on the floor

and fixing the shoes and stuff,
I have stretched a certain way,

and it really hurt
down there, really bad.

I don't know if I
pulled something.

And my doctor was
just like, nobody

told you to go back
to work so soon.

Your body went through
so much just giving birth

to a whole human being.

You shouldn't just
go back to work.

Your mind is
exhausted, your body.

Everything about you
is just exhausted.

You need that rest.

One of the most difficult
things for a physician

is to realize that what's in the
best interest of their patients

are not doable.

I know what's associated
with the best outcomes,

but I know that the
patients can't do it,

because they've
got to decide, do I

want to do what my
doctor says, or do I

want to be employed
and have money

so I can buy the food that
my child is going to need?

Which of these competing
needs takes precedence

when all of them should be met?

I think 12 weeks paid leave
for mothers is a floor.

It takes six weeks just to
get your physical being back

to its normal place.

Physical changes occur.

The uterus shrinks back from
the size of a watermelon

to the size of a pear.

Hypertensive problems
can take many months

until they go back
to normal levels.

My pregnancy was going
along normal, fine.

And then all of a sudden I
was about 27 weeks along,

and I started
having contractions.

Out comes baby Ethan, very,
very premature, very early.

I had four weeks off, unpaid,
recovering from my c-section.

And then I needed to go back
to work while he was still

in the hospital and
in the intensive care

because I didn't
have enough time.

I found myself sitting
in a cubicle at work

while my son is in the hospital
really fighting for his life.

And that's a decision no
parent should have to make.

So alert.

After he was in the
hospital for so long,

we really didn't have a
chance to bond with him.

I feel like I'm
getting dual messaging.

Society is telling me
to bond with my son

and to really connect with
him while also telling me I

need to get back to work, and I
need to be away from my family.

Today is my third
day back at work.

I've been holding back the
tears just by staying distracted

and not dwelling too much.

What's up, little man?

With my partner working
weekends and me working Monday

through Friday, the
three of us as a family

really won't be able
to do almost anything.

Right after he was
born, I just stared

because, personally, I've
never seen a baby that small.

He was in the incubator.

They had the blue light on
him because of the jaundice.

And they had tubes in his nose.

And I was like, wow.

More than anything, I felt
like, I really have to be here.

I've just got to be there.

I've got to, got
to, got to be there.

Want to go out there?

Well, I cook in a
senior living community.

I asked them what
were the chances

of me having paternity leave.

And they just laughed.

They think that
paternity leave. .

why would you want to do that?

The woman stays home and
takes care of the baby.

And I'm like, well, I'm a dad.

I want to take care of the baby.

Even after Ethan was born,
they worked me to death.

I had no days off.

I was working crazy hours.

I've spent more time at work
than I have with my family.

I missed Ethan, and
I missed Britta.

And I didn't get
to be around them.

This society is
built and geared up

to just break down the family
and to just split it up.

I'm 29 weeks, as of
yesterday, with a baby girl.

Yeah, I mean, we've got diapers.

One of my best friends literally
sent me five boxes' worth

of newborn clothes that
she got from a friend.

So we have all that.

Do we need those?

No, not right. . I just want the
stuff we need when she's here.

Oh, I cannot wait.

I cannot wait to see
you wearing a BabyBjorn.

[laughing]

I'm not going to help you.

So you don't know how
to do this, either?

Also true.

This is so intimidating.

Are these the same?

So I guess we don't have
to get the same brand car

seat that we do stroller.

We just have to make sure
it has the compatible. .

Because this one doesn't look
it's an infant carrier, though,

right?

I don't know, because of our
past with losing the girls.

I know I'm probably going to
be a little more overprotective

than I ever planned on being.

We don't have to have the
coming-home-outfit discussion

right now.

You lost the bet,
so she doesn't get

to come home in a cheesehead.

But I have a whole receiving
blanket Packer thing.

We'll talk about this later.

Worst retriever ever.

This isn't actually retrieving.

This is I throw it to him,
and I walk and pick it up.

Where we live, there
is no law saying there

has to be paternity leave.

If they gave me two
weeks, I'd be amazed.

To get through everything we've
been through, losing the twins,

going through the grief,
and watching my wife just

be completely crushed,
and now finally getting to

where we are now, so excited.

But it's hard to be completely
excited because it's

tempered by the fact
that what should

be one of the biggest, most
important times in your life,

where you don't have to
think about anything else,

I've got to go straight back
to doing something that is not

nearly as important, a job
that is not changing the world.

Christina is going to feel very
overwhelmed when I first leave.

I think she's more than capable
and would be a great mom,

but it's a two-person job.

She's just gone through
such a long period of time

to get to where we are now.

It'd be nice to be
able to be there

to take the load off her more.

Will you get it?

I can't get it.

OK.

Oh, I saw that.

So I called and spoke to HR.

And I said, just
want to find out

what our policy for
paternity leave is.

I'm nervous, like freaking out.

So what did they say?

She seemed to be confused
at what I was asking about.

She kept saying, well,
I don't know if there's

maternity leave for fathers.

And I kept saying,
paternity leave.

She said, well,
looking at this, we

don't have anything
for paternity.

But you can take your PLB, which
is Personal Leave Bank, which

is the same thing that is used
for vacation and for sick time.

I mean, how much PLB
do you even have?

I was trying to look and see.

We could always calculate it.

You get, what, two days a week?

2. 077 hours.

So you basically might have
1. 75 days left, basically.

So let's hope I don't have
a c-section so you could

be at the hospital
with me for 48 hours

and then get one day off to
spend time with your daughter.

See, this is honestly
what I expected.

I was hoping I had more
than just 24 hours.

You really thought
you were going

to bring me home
from the hospital,

set her down, and get
on a conference call?

It's the most messed
up thing in the world.

I mean, you have a
child, and you're just

never going to have. .

There's no bonding time
with her whatsoever.

You're out the door.

When paid family
leave exists, more men

start to take that leave.

And then, what we've see in
California is, in many cases,

then they get back to work.
And guess what?

These bosses are suddenly
forced to realize, oh,

this guy is just as good
an employee now as he was

before he took paternity leave.

Who would've thunk?

So policy actually
can change culture.

This is the state capital
in Madison, Wisconsin.

And we're here for a
hearing before the senate

on the Wisconsin
Family Insurance

Act, which would create a family
medical leave insurance fund.

And I'm going to testify today.

These are just notes for
myself for keywords to remember

that say what I want
to say, because I

don't want to read my speech.

-Wanggaard.
-I, here.

Marklein.

-Wirch.
-Here.

-Larson.
-Here.

Senate Bill 385 expands
family medical leave law

and allows employees
to take leave

to care for a grandparent,
grandchild, or sibling.

-Welcome.
-Hi, thank you so much.

I'm Ellen Bravo.

That's B as in Benefits, R,
reasonable, A, Advantageous, V,

Very, O, Overdue.

Today, there are 18 states
that are considering bills

like Wisconsin's.

The good news is, we have
a growing body of evidence

that shows that it works and
that the predictions of doom

never happen.

So whenever we work with
the women we work with,

and they're thinking, oh my
god, I can't get up and speak,

I'll tell them, we
get to tell them,

what you have is
misinformation and lies,

and what we have are the facts
and also the power of people's

painful experiences that's
going to change the world.

I didn't know if
I was going to be

able to make it through
this conversation

without tears coming.

And I'm trying to
fight them back now,

because my mom passed away.

She suffered from many strokes
before the massive

heart attack took her.

I'm here telling you that
I wouldn't understand

why I needed to choose, right?

I didn't understand why I
needed to be able to say,

either I go to work today
or miss the very last chance

to be able to see my mother
on this side of glory.

And one thing that
we all have in common

in this very same room right
now. . there's two sure things.

One day we're going to be
born, and one day we're

going to leave.

Some people have the luxury
of the high-paying jobs where

they have the security
of being able to say,

well, we have this
nest egg saved up,

so we don't have to worry.

But what about those that don't?

So I took a deep breath
today, and I told my mother,

this is for you today.

I'm sitting here on behalf of
anyone else that's actually

facing this right now
today, whether or not

they need to go to work or be
able to sit by their husband's

bedside, their child's
beside, a significant other's

bedside without
having the luxury

of being able to say
whether or not we're

going to pay the bills or not.

So take that into
consideration when

you're talking about passing
this bill or not passing it,

because it does affect so
many lives, not just mine,

but the others to follow.

Thank you.

That concludes the hearing.

We just saw something
extraordinary today.

There were people here,
lobbyists, to indicate

their opposition to the bill,
but they did not stay to speak,

because what would
they have said?

What would they have
said to Nancy Yarbrough

about her mother?

What would they have
said to Tameka Luckovich

about losing her baby?

What would they have
said to Rodney Crosby

about being told
by his employer,

you didn't have that baby,
so you don't get to take

care of it when its sick?

They couldn't have
answered that.

That's the consequences on
workers and their families

when there isn't
affordable leave.

This hearing was
enormously impactful.

And I was like, who?

And then you called
her and you were

like, hey, Mom, it's Alexi.

And Alexi was like, wait.

I was like, bye.

I died.

I started high school
at Joliet Central.

Does my hair look OK?

Don't lie to me.
It's ugly.

Well, my favorite
subject was math.

I want to study to
be a radiologist.

This is my dad and
I. He had long hair.

This is a family picture, which
is my dad, my mom, my brother,

the baby, and myself.

July 4, we were outside,
going to see the fireworks.

My dad was not feeling good.

His gums started bleeding.

We took him to the hospital.

They told him that
he had leukemia.

He was working at a company
as a forklift driver.

The hospital wouldn't
let him leave,

so he had to send a
letter to his job.

They told him, obviously,
since you're sick,

you can't work with us.

So he was fired.

My mom, at that time,
she was working with him.

And they fired her
because they didn't

want her to make excuses to
miss a work day or something.

After my dad lost his
job, one of the things

that became a big struggle
was our apartment.

And then, my sister,
Mia, got sick.

Eight days after Mia was settled
at Lurie Children's Hospital,

we moved here, to the
Ronald McDonald house.

The next day, after my
dad was done with chemo,

he went into critical condition.

July 31, my dad passed away.

Today is my first day of
training,

kind of nervous.

At the moment, I'm
the only one that

can work because my mom
has to stay and babysit

my brother and my sister.

My mom actually
was really happy.

When I actually
got to the room, I

was hiding the bag from
the clothes and everything.

She was like, you
didn't get the job?

And so I was
pretending I didn't.

She was like, it's OK.

There will be other
opportunities.

So when she turned
around, I grabbed the bag,

and I showed her.

And she screamed, and
she was hugging me.

-And she started to cry.
-I love you.

I love you, too. Bye.

Bye.

She was like, this is really
a great opportunity for you,

and there will be more,
and I'm so proud of you.

And that made me
feel really good.

I started missing a
lot of days at school.

I stopped going
there my junior year.

I was devastated.

I was like, what
am I going to do?

I was thinking about my future.

I'm only 17.

I felt like everything
was just going down.

If my mom had her job,
it would be easier.

I'd be going to school, not
worrying about anything.

Sometimes it's hard to
explain to people why

paid family medical
leave has such

a high return on investment
and is so important.

And I've started to have
a visual picture of why.

The sticky floor. . it's
one of the reasons why

2/3 of minimum wage earners are
women, because too many of them

get stuck on the sticky floor
of not being able to earn

enough seniority to
increase their pay,

because every time a
life event happens,

they start over again
on the bottom rung.

If you think about it this
way, our workplace policies

were written at a time
when dad went to work,

and mom stayed at home.

But for most Americans, that's
just not reality anymore.

8 out of 10 moms are
working, and 4 out of 10 moms

are primary or
sole wage earners.

Women without children are
making an average of $0. 90

to a man's dollar.

Moms are making about
$0. 73 to a man's dollar.

Single moms are making about
$0. 56 to a man's dollar.

And women of color who are moms
are experiencing increased wage

hits on top of that.

Having sensible paid leave
laws enables women not to fall

behind men in terms of wages.

We shouldn't leave all this
talent on the sidelines.

It hurts our global
competitiveness to do so.

In the year 2000, female
labor force participation

in Canada and the United
States was identical.

Fast forward to today,
Canada is something

like 7 and 1/2 percentage points

ahead on female labor
force participation.

Why?

Because they put in place
increasingly progressive

paid leave policies.

If we had simply kept pace
with Canada, over this period

we'd have five and a
half million more women

in the workplace,
five and a half million

more women contributing
to our innovation economy,

adding literally over
$500 billion to our GDP.

You smell just like a baby.

I love it.

-What's up?
-Hey, Ashley.

Hey.

What are you doing?

I'm at work.

Oh.

So I have some bad news.

And that is?

I lost my job.

What happened?

I was late to work

a little too much, so

she let me go.

I'm on WIC right now.

WIC is a program that
allows mothers that

need help paying for formula.

I would say it is like
food stamps for children.

This is my WIC folder, which
has these checks in it.

And this one right here is
for the farmer's market.

So you get $11 for
fruits and vegetables.

This one, you can get
beans, peanut butter.

You can get concentrated
juice and two gallons of milk.

Before I didn't have a job,
I didn't have to get WIC,

so I would be able
to afford formula.

But now I'm using
WIC to be able to. .

for Tory to eat and
for myself sometimes.

If someone has
leave, they are going

to be 40% less likely to have
to go on public assistance

after the birth of a new child.

And that's a huge number.

I spend a lot of my
time as the president

of the American
Academy of Pediatrics

advocating for the things that
families and children need.

And so I meet with many
elected officials all the time.

And what I say to them is I
can take care of their family,

and I can take care
of their illnesses,

but I need you
and the government

to provide them the
programs, the benefits that

change these children's lives.

Expectant parents
actually going as far

as crowdfunding their
maternity and paternity leave.

If we want to help children,
we have to help parents.

And one of the important
ways we can help parents

is by giving them
paid family leave.

Maternal depression is much more
prevalent than people realize.

It's much more serious
than people realize.

1 out of 10 women are
going to have this.

Low-income women are more
likely to get depressed

because they have less
resources, less supports.

We know that babies whose
mothers are depressed

have problems in
language development,

cognitive development,
social-emotional development.

The other issue paid family
leave impacts is breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding is one of
the best things you can

do for a child's immune system.

You're more likely to breastfeed
for a longer period of time,

clearly, if you
have more time off.

That's been shown in
study after study.

Paid family leave helps
parents in many other ways.

It can also be used
beyond the newborn period.

Paid family leave makes
it easier for parents

to keep medical appointments.

I've had parents say, I
can't bring my kid back

for his asthma because my
boss says if I take one more

day off, I'm going to be fired.

They're more likely to bring
the baby in for checkups.

And therefore, since
one of the major things

we do at those checkups
is give immunizations,

it's more likely that the baby
will get immunized on time.

I have seen many cases where the
inability for women to take off

creates a much greater
cost for the individual

and for the health care system.

So this morning, the Community
Service Society of New York

is hosting this health
care professionals panel.

The title of it is, RX,
Paid Leave for New Yorkers,

that they're really trying to
show that we care about health,

and we want a prescription
for improving health,

then you've got to
have paid leave.

New York should be the leader,
the lightning rod, the model

for the rest of the country.

I would just invite
any legislator

who has doubts about the
worthiness of this bill to just

come spend one day
in a prenatal clinic

to see the stress
that women face.

If the governor's proposal
for paid family leave passes,

New York would become
the fourth state

in the nation to allow it.

So we say, let's take
the next step forward

in the state of New York,
which is 12 weeks

of paid family leave. .

[applause]

to help workers
lead a decent life.

The reason paid leave
is going to become

a reality is our
movement is building

broad and diverse
coalitions, business owners

and workers, doctors, and people
who care about kids, people

care about seniors, people
who care about equality

and ending poverty.

I love spending
time in New York,

because these business leaders
help break the myth that this

is an anti-business policy.

Spotify wanted to
figure out how could

their users and their
employees push for paid leave.

So I've been
reaching out to them

to say, how about making
a playlist or a series

of playlists and then having
the notice of that playlist

include a link to
organizations that

will help them get involved?

So what about songs?

Songs.

I mean, the "Cat's in the
Cradle" is the ultimate. .

Yes, yeah.

Tupac had a song called
"Part Time Mutha. "

Somebody suggested that you
do one for breastfeeding,

and it would use
all the songs that

have the word "pump" in the
title, "Pump Up the Volume. "

I'm not from the US, so
what's exactly. . sorry.

I don't totally follow.

What is the law?

There's one law, federally.

And what it says is, for
companies of 50 or more,

people can get up to
12 weeks unpaid leave

to care for a newborn
or a serious personal

or family illness.

That's it.

I just put in, as a
space-holder, Lead on Leave.

What do you think?

Lead on Love, it's
even more beautiful.

Yeah, this is the best playlist
brainstorming session ever.

So here's a city like New
York, where so many companies

are headquartered.

And hearing the voices of
these big businesses saying,

we're expanding
our paid leave,

we found this is
a smart thing to do,

that really helps our case.

So in investment banking,
there's a war for talent

there, just like
any other industry,

but even more so in that space.

Companies that do better
in the marketplace

have diverse workforces,
and they have women.

They do 15% better
on their bottom line,

according to Forbes, if women
are included in the leadership

positions.

Does this policy
drive retention,

and does it make us a more
attractive place to work?

I think, unquestionably,
it does.

One of the things I do is
meet with business leaders

to encourage them to see
that another best practice is

speaking out for public policy.

And then we publicize
those statements

and help elected
officials see that this

is a pro-business policy.

New policy announced today. .

Microsoft, upping paid
parental leave to 12 weeks.

Adobe is now offering 26 weeks.

When Google expanded
their maternity leave,

they found that they were
able to reduce attrition.

This is not simply
the right thing to do.

It's the smart thing to do.

[baby crying]

Happy birthday.

I know, sweetheart.

Bella Bear.

Got her?

I got her.

Oh, here we go.

Oh.

Oh, we brought home a baby, Mom.

I'll loosen it.

OK, first-time parent
question, babe.

So you press this to loosen it.

Oh, OK.

-And this can come up.
-OK, that's right.

You're beautiful.

Love you.

First 24 hours home, sleepless.

Everyone was exhausted.

OK, OK. Shh.

We'll try this.

Yes, there we go.

There you go.

I actually started answering
emails, though, about six hours

after we got her home.

I'm answering emails about
a request for a small half

box of needles for medical use.

So I had to touch
base with them.

This company, they
do a very good job

of making you think that this
is the most important thing,

and there's nothing
else, when in the end. .

so I end up working three days
after my daughter was born.

And there's nothing
we can really do.

To have to leave so
quickly, I missed out

on the first pediatric visit.

So I haven't even
met her pediatrician.

It's just incredibly
frustrating that,

during this two-week window when
everything is new and changing,

that Christina basically
has to do it all.

I'm going to try left again, but
can you take her for a second?

Yeah, I got her.

In an ideal situation, I could
literally do everything else.

Christina handles the
feeding, and then I

could be in charge of
comforting, soothing,

getting her back down.

I absolutely feel
like I've missed out

on some of the bonding.

Christina has
already, even her mom

have already said they can
tell the difference in some

of her cries that I am just
on the cusp of, I think,

understanding.

Do I feel I'm behind the
curve compared to Christina?

Absolutely.

If DC approves a new
paid leave proposal,

it would be one of,
if not the most,

employee-friendly
plans in the country.

Today is the third
hearing they've had.

And this one is focusing on the
people who live in the district

and how they feel
about this bill.

This bill, if it
was passed, would

give those who live and work in
DC some of the best paid family

medical leave, 16
weeks in total.

There's 136 people
testifying today.

Overwhelmingly, those are
people not just in support

but in need of this bill.

I'm so thrilled that
I could be here.

I love to go when these
kinds of hearings happen.

Whenever I can, I like
to come and root for them

and show that support.

I'm here to testify
to city council

on the importance of paid leave.

I am very nervous.

I don't like talking
in front of people.

So this is going to be a doozy.

It's not every day
that more than 130

DC taxpayers, residents,
business owners,

industry lobbyists. .

I see you all here. .

testify in a bill
we're considering.

And in my opinion, that alone
demonstrates the significance

of this issue.

The subject of this hearing
is Bill 21-415 entitled

The Universal Paid Leave Act.

There's several ways to
look at the proposal.

One of them is
it's about benefits

which are good for
business because it

makes a business an attractive
place for a person to work.

My name is Roger Horowitz,
and I own Pleasant Pops.

We're a DC small business.

As a responsible
employer, I'd love

to be able to offer paid
leave to my employees.

At Pleasant Pops, we
offer a living wage

and paid sick leave.

We provide health
care, even though we

aren't required to do so.

And these choices have paid off.

Our business has
been very successful

because we invest in
our great employees.

But there is one piece missing.

We can't provide
paid leave because we

don't have the cash on hand
to cover 16 weeks of leave.

We're behind you 100%,
and we'll continue

to fight for this benefit
as small business owners,

as DC residents, and
as future parents.

My name is Kesha Scribner.

I have been a resident of
the district for over 22 years.

I was diagnosed with stage
4 breast cancer right

before my daughter's
second birthday.

When. . I'm sorry.

When I was diagnosed, my
surgeon, primary doctor,

and oncologist recommended
that I go on disability.

But how could I?

While paying market rent,
electric, gas, childcare,

food, and other
essentials, I had

to work throughout the
treatments treatments

I have received.

I worked the whole
time during chemo

until my body shut down on me.

But life goes on, and so will I.

It would mean a lot if the
government that I have

dedicated myself to
for over 18 years

supports the
residents in this city

by passing this Universal
Paid Leave Act with a minimum

of 12 weeks of paid
leave, or now 16.

Thank you, Ms. Scribner.

Look what our campaigns do.

They talk to people
and get them engaged

based on their own
experience and the fact

that change is possible.

And it's just by people like
them that it's going to happen,

that they, in fact, are the
ones who can make it happen.

What they want is so small.

They just want to take care of
themselves and their loved ones

and be independent without
risking financial disaster.

But they also want
something big,

which is to make
this nation live up

to its promise of
valuing families.

Paid family leave
becoming law in DC.

DC Council voted
nine to four to give

more than half a
million DC employees up

to eight weeks of leave.

There are nine
yeses and four nos.

The motion passes.

[cheering]

Spirited advocates filled
the council chambers

for today's vote.

The bill grants DC
employees up to 18. .

The state lawmakers are
headed back to Albany tomorrow

after the holiday weekend
to try to finalize

this year's state budget.

Top of mind?
Paid family leave.

So this is one of those
edge-of-the-seat moments,

six days away from a
vote on the budget.

The coalition has
done an amazing job.

Everything should line up.

They could do it.

I think we have a good
shot, but in New York,

never quite know how things are
going to shake out in the end.

The one thing we do at
Family Values at Work,

and it's because I'm
so superstitious,

is we prepare an infographic
ahead of time in case we win,

but I make everyone knock on
wood or doing an anti-evil eye

sign so we don't jinx it.

And then, generally, a
leader in the coalition

will call me or text me
and say it happily passed.

And then I'll send out a note
to the whole staff saying,

they did it.

Go with the infographic.

Right now, I'm on
WorkingMatters. com.

If our state had
paid leave, nobody

would have to go through
what I went through.

My name is Jasmine, and I
live outside of Baltimore.

I was recently employed
for a small business.

I was forced to go back to
work four weeks after having

my daughter and had to commute
two hours to work and back.

I believe our state needs paid
leave to support their families

and so mothers won't have
to go through the hard times

that I encountered.

All right, we're about to
make some changes, Tory.

I love you.

Brian's not with
his job anymore.

It was a combination of things.

It was her.

It was he hadn't really
been happy there.

The situation was not a
good work environment.

And I just decided, why am I
going to stay with a company

that I don't think had
any interest in me?

Oh, I know.

I know.
OK.

I'd say one of the things
that's one of my favorite things

with her right now is putting
her down on one of her play

mats and watching her
explore and watching

her learn new sounds.

Unfortunately, she didn't learn
the cute babble sounds as much.

She does a fantastic
impersonation of a banshee.

If she's not happy with
something, she lets you know.

Nothing's more precious
than this time.

It's not.
And jobs will be there.

And I'm hoping, and he is,
too, that if he explains

in an interview, you know
what, I took time off to be

with my family, you'd
hope that whoever

he's talking to or interviewing
with would get that.

When my dad got sick, and my
sister was in the hospital,

I wasn't in school.

We were all worried about
my education and everything.

I got into Magic Johnson.

So now I'm back in
high school online,

and I'm still getting
my high school diploma.

Magic Johnson Bridgescape
is an alternative program.

It's not at a traditional
high school, which requires

you to be in school all day.

This allows a lot of
flexibility for our students.

Throughout her time
that she's been with us,

she has accomplished
a credit so far.

So it takes a
special type of kid

to be able to sit in front of
a computer 80% of their day

and to be dedicated and to want
to have that accomplishment.

New York approved the most
comprehensive paid family leave

program in the
country this week.

Thank you for
making it a reality.

God bless you.

[applause]

The coalition is holding
this celebration tonight

of their fabulous paid
family leave win in New York.

It made them the fourth
state in the country

to win family leave.

And they've improved
on the previous state

by having a more realistic
amount of time, 12 weeks.

Personal experiences
were a cornerstone.

This is really why
we do this work.

Bills for paid leave
have been introduced

in nearly two dozen states.

That's clearly paving the
way for a national bill

so that everybody
will be covered.

The momentum is going to
carry all over the country.

We're going to see
a growing movement.

It's not a question of if.

It's a question of when.

Paid leave has become
front and center

to national discourse
because of everyday people

like you and me.

When people realize they
don't have paid leave,

reactions range from
disbelief to despair to anger.

Now that anger has been
turned into action,

and that's why paid
leave is being considered

in more than 20 states.

As for me, upon returning to
work after maternity leave,

I felt punished for being gone.

My hours were so long and
grueling that for two months,

I didn't see my daughter
awake during the work week.

For over a decade, I had
helped grow the company.

I was their first hire.

During rough patches,
I even cut my pay

to help keep
the place thriving.

But my maternity leave
experience irreparably

damaged my loyalty to them.

Within a year, I quit
my job to go freelance

and began working on this film.

There are problems almost
impossible to comprehend

fixing within our lifetime,
global terror, climate change,

the growing island
of garbage the size

of India in the Pacific Ocean.

But paid leave is something
we can change now.

When will all Americans
have access to paid leave?

The answer is not up
to a single president

or administration,

a single corporation
or lobbyist.

[music playing]

♪ I believe, I believe it
doesn't have to be this way. ♪

♪ It doesn't have
to be this way. ♪

It's up to us.

[music playing]

♪ Can I stay? ♪

♪ One more day ♪

♪ You know me, you
know me, you know me ♪

♪ I don't always
Act this way, ♪

♪ I don't always act this way ♪

♪ All I need, all I need, ♪

♪ all I need, tell me,
baby, it's OK ♪

♪ Oh, tell me, baby, it's OK ♪

♪ I believe, I believe, ♪

♪ I believe it doesn't have
to be this way ♪

♪ It doesn't have
to be this way ♪

♪ Can I stay? ♪

♪ One more day ♪