COVID-19 has kicked off paid vacation – but it is up to all of us to keep pressure to make sure America pushes paid vacation for all.
Only 8 percent of workers earning less than $ 14 an hour had access to paid vacation last year. (Napoleon Cole / Flickr)
Last week I cheered a little behind my desk, which doubles as my family’s dining table: The House of Representatives passed the American rescue plan, which extends (among other things) voluntary tax credits for employers who offer emergency sickness and family vacations to their workers. The debate now goes to the Senate, which begins on Thursday under strict security precautions.
If the American rescue plan is approved, companies can get a reimbursement for giving their workers the flexibility to take time out for personal health and care in addition to caring for a child whose childcare or school is closed during COVID-19 Take family.
This builds on the recent paid vacation momentum sparked by the pandemic. Last March, Congress approved a first round of this type of support under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. This bill provided an estimated 87 million workers with long-term paid family leave of up to 10 weeks for workers caring for a child, as well as two working weeks of non-working paid sick leave.
While these were emergency provisions, they are also a good step on the longer road to a permanent paid vacation policy.
Working towards a Perpetual Paid Vacation Policy
Every day at work, I paid for vacation in my head. That is my job as an advocate for action that will improve the lives of women and families and create a more just and just society. But it had been a while since I personally considered taking vacation – in fact, seven years had passed since I took family and sick leave (mostly unpaid) leave for my son’s birth.
That changed with the pandemic, as it did with many working parents. Taking time off became a necessity when my first year school closed. I’m lucky now. I am among the 20 percent of private sector employees on paid leave. But eight in ten workers don’t have that option: they have to choose whether to earn a paycheck or look after their families and deal with personal medical issues.
Historically, black and Hispanic workers were less likely to pay vacations than whites. This has become particularly worrying over the past year as COVID-19 has had a disproportionate and lethal impact on people of color. As a Filipina, it was heartbreaking to see the devastating effects the virus had on Filipino nurses. They account for 30 percent of COVID-19 nursing-related deaths in the country, but healthcare workers have been banned from the emergency paid leave provisions that Congress passed last year.
Only 8 percent of workers earning less than $ 14 an hour had access to paid vacation last year. Also, access to family vacation and medical leave varies greatly by state. For example, in Florida, where I grew up, 63 percent of workers don’t even have access to go without pay. Other states, such as Colorado and Washington, have had paid vacation policies in place in recent years.
Only 13 states – including New Jersey pictured here – and Washington DC have laws that require paid sick leave. (Phil Murphy / Flickr)
Here’s the bottom line: you shouldn’t have to live in a specific location or do a specific calling or work for the right employer to access something as necessary as paid vacation. And under no circumstances should a person’s race or background ever matter.
That brings me back to Congress – because we need a national paid vacation guarantee that covers all workers, no matter what.
Support for a national mandate for paid leave
The good news is that we are making progress. The 1993 Basic Law on Family and Sick Leave (FMLA), passed 28 years ago, guarantees that an employer cannot fire someone who has taken the time to care for a loved one or recover from a medical emergency.
Even with the FMLA, many workers still have to make drastic compromises.
Growing up, my mom worked in retail and had access to paid time off, but she was afraid of getting fired if she took it. If she stayed home with me when I was sick, she would go to work out of fear for the next few weeks or months, hoping that it would not cause her to lose her job. She once had her own health condition that required surgery, but went back to work as soon as she could to show that she was a good worker.
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Workers like my mother motivate me to push for a paid vacation policy that includes job protection and decent pay during vacation and medical leave.
The FAMILY Act is the next step. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (DN.Y.) and Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) Reintroduced it earlier this month along with 196 Members of the House and 36 Senators. The bill is a permanent solution that provides paid vacation to all workers, regardless of their race, gender, occupation, or the person they work for.
ACTION: Three things you can do to support paid vacation
Recent advances in paid vacation shows that Congress is listening to lawyers and people across the country struggling under the weight of work and responsibility to care. While this is a good sign, it also means that we cannot give up.
Anyone who cares about paid vacation can do these three things to add more momentum to it.
1. Put pressure on Congress.
First, we must keep pushing Congress to pass a permanent paid vacation policy that works for everyone, like the FAMILY Act.
2. Take it locally.
People can also get involved at the local level. Whenever a city or state guarantees paid vacation to workers, a national policy becomes an eventuality.
3. Share your story.
Third, I always encourage people to share their stories with their friends, colleagues, and other networks about why paid vacation is important to them. The more we speak up, the louder the chorus becomes for supporting women and families.
COVID-19 has kicked off paid vacation, but it is up to all of us to keep pressure to make sure America pushes paid vacation for all.
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