Editor’s note: This commentary is by David Van Deusen, president of the Vermont AFL-CIO, on behalf of its executive board.
The Vermont AFL-CIO supports passage of H.107. We further encourage pro-labor legislators in the Vermont House and Senate to vote for the bill during the expected veto override effort. Specifically we are supportive of the 24 weeks of paid maternity/paternity leave (12 weeks per parent) and view this as a significant victory for working class families. We also view the eight weeks of paid leave provided for caring for a sick family member as meaningful. Recognizing the current struggles new parents face, especially moderate- and low-income parents, we feel compelled to vocally support the passage of this legislation this year. Mitigation of aspects of the struggles of working families (who suffer under the weight of an elitist and unjust economic system) should not have to wait until 2021 or beyond; working people demand support now. But even so, this bill cannot be an end. Rather, it must be only a beginning.
While we support passage of this legislation, we appreciate and understand the frustrations and anger of other members of the Paid Family Leave Coalition, such as Voices For Vermont’s Children and Main Street Alliance, when they say this bill does not go far enough. We also respect and support those Progressive and Democratic legislators who previously voted against it for the same principled reasons. We too are disappointed that personal (universal) short-term disability did not make it into this compromised version. Adequate paid time off for sick or injured workers is typically understood as the centerpiece of paid family medical leave legislation. The fact is, too many working people have been forced into poverty because they lack paid time off when facing a serious medical condition. We, like others, are also dismayed that the bill provides for the administration of this program by non-public, and presumably non-union labor. Public programs should be delivered through unionized public employees. Even so, in our view these shortcomings do not outweigh the social benefit of providing 24 weeks of paid leave for new parents. Therefore we call upon principled legislators who were previously in opposition, those lawmakers which are labor champions, to reverse their position and support the override effort.
But let there be no mistake; 12 weeks of paid short-term disability must be a priority next year. We would view the expansion of this program as potentially part of a much larger Green New Deal aimed at delivering not only a sustainable planet, but also a sustainable economy. The Vermont AFL-CIO further asserts that while government has a major role to play in creating a more just, secure and equitable society, it is also true that historically it has been labor unions that have done the most to improve pay, benefits, and working conditions for the working class. We therefore again call for the passage (this year) of H.428, card check, whereby workers are more democratically empowered to form a union. The passage of this bill will allow us to organize more public sector workplaces, and as we do, we can fight to guarantee more paid medical leave and truly livable wages, not next year or in five years, but today, through the collective bargaining process. If legislators truly envision a near future in which workers have sufficient paid medical leave and real livable wages, then they will also partner with us in our effort to pass card check.
The Vermont AFL-CIO looks forward to a successful veto override effort, delivering paid maternity/paternity leave for tens of thousands of Vermonters. We also look forward to building upon this social program in the months and years to come.
