Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Family and Medical Leave Insurance Coalition (VT FaMLI), with support from Red Hen Baking Co and Camp Meade of Middlesex, hosted over 80 people on Sunday, August 29th for “We Believe in Paid Leave” - A Celebration of Workers, Families, and Small Businesses.
Participants support passage of an equitable and robust national Paid Family and Medical Leave solution.
Speeches included small business owners Askahta Nayak of Little Patakha and Randy George of Red Hen Baking Co.; state legislators House Speaker Jill Krowinski, Senate President Pro Tem Becca Balint, and Senator Kesha Ram Hinsdale; and Beth Awhaitey of Senator Sanders’ office.
This celebration was part of “We Believe in Paid Leave”, a social media and video campaign lifting up stories from throughout the state and demonstrating Vermonters’ strong support for this policy.
“Women, and particularly women of color, make up the majority of the lowest wage workers, 95% of whom lack access to any Paid Family and Medical Leave. Passing paid family and medical leave for all is our opportunity to honor these workers, giving them the time that they deserve to take care of themselves and their families.” - Senator Kesha Ram Hinsdale
“A federal paid family leave program where all businesses, regardless of size, have access to family and medical leave, would be a game changer to our state. Vermonters should not have to choose between taking care of a loved one or risk losing their job. The pandemic has shown that women and the BIPOC community were disproportionately impacted, and having a national leave program would be an incredible step in creating greater equity in the workplace.” - House Speaker Jill Krowinski
"We know that nearly 70% of Americans say that family is the #1 most important thing to them. This is true for Americans across the country, regardless of race, class, gender or political party. This means Paid Family and Medical Leave is something that millions and millions of Americans support. Let's get it done!" - Senate President Pro Tem Becca Balint
Morgan Nichols, State Director of Main Street Alliance of VT thanks the many Vermonters who participated in the event. Addressing the crowd, she said, “We know that no one chooses when they get sick or injured and that ALL workers and ALL small businesses need to have the financial security to put health and safety first.”
About the Vermont FaMLI Coalition
The Vermont FaMLI (Family and Medical Leave Insurance) Coalition is made up of over 25 statewide organizations fighting for an equitable and robust paid family and medical leave solution and has launched “We Believe in Paid Leave”, a campaign that seeks to raise public consciousness on this important policy and provide opportunities to engage with and support our federal delegation as they work to pass this transformative legislation. To learn more about this campaign and get involved go to: www.vtpaidleave.org