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Dear name of your representative,

I am a constituent of your district and I am a hairdresser who is directly affected by the fact that there is no paid family and medical leave program in the US. I am urging you to pass  a national paid family and medical leave program like President Biden outlined as part of his American Families Plan – similar to the FAMILY Act (H.R. 804/S. 248) at the soonest possible opportunity. 

I am among the 99.4% of salon workers who don’t even qualify for the current federal UNPAID family leave policy. If I get sick or need to take care of a member in my immediate family, or introduce a new child to my family, I fear loss of income and job protection. As a mother, “the motherhood wage penalty” can last 10 to 20 years after childbirth—mothers earn lower wages, work fewer hours, and are less likely to be employed than fathers or workers without children. I’ve seen this loss of income firsthand in my own life postpartum. With paid family leave women who report leaves of 30 or more days are 54% more likely to report wage increases in the year following the child’s birth than are women who take no leave at all. 

The UN considers paid family leave a fundamental human right and the US is among only two countries who don’t have a federal policy. This support for working Americans is long overdue and every working American deserves this human right. 

Thank you,
Your Signature

Dear name of your representative,

I am a constituent of your district and I am a worker who is directly affected by the fact that there is no paid family and medical leave program in the US. I am urging you to pass  a national paid family and medical leave program like President Biden outlined as part of his American Families Plan – similar to the FAMILY Act (H.R. 804/S. 248) at the soonest possible opportunity. 

More than 40% of Americans don’t even qualify for the current UNPAID family leave policy. If we get seriously ill or need to take care of a member in my immediate family, or introduce a new child to my family, we fear loss of income and job protection. 25 percent of dual-income families and 13 percent of single-parent families file for bankruptcy after missing two or more weeks of work because they were sick or were caring for an ill family member. Countless people would avoid these circumstances if a program like the FAMILY Act were in place.

“The motherhood wage penalty” can last 10 to 20 years after childbirth—mothers earn lower wages, work fewer hours, and are less likely to be employed than fathers or workers without children. I’ve seen this loss of income firsthand in my friends and families lives postpartum and after caring for a sick family member.  Paid leave can reduce the financial burden of illness that has been shown to lead to bankruptcies. 

The UN has stated paid family leave as a human right and the US is the only high-wealth country not to guarantee workers any type of paid leave, including paid leave for new mothers caring for newborns. This support for working Americans is long overdue and every working American deserves this human right. Please vote to enact a national paid leave program at the earliest possible opportunity.

Thank you,
Your Signature