Everett, Wash.
Published: Wednesday, March 7, 2007

A humane culture shouldn't discourage caring for family

John Burbank / Syndicated Columnist

 My folks are 87 years old. Every time I get a call from Vermont, where they live, I worry that it may be bad news about their health. In the back of my mind, I know I may be on a plane the next day to take care of them through an injury or illness.

I am lucky that my employer has a family leave policy, to provide partial pay if and when I have to take time away to care for my parents. Most workers in Washington don't have this benefit. Washington legislators have a chance to make family leave a reality not only for the well-off among us, but for all workers.

Sen. Karen Keiser, D-Des Moines, and Rep. Mary Lou Dickerson, D-Seattle, have teamed up to author legislation for family leave insurance. They have been joined by a host of other legislators, including Hans Dunshee, D-Snohomish, Shirley Hankins, R-Richland, John McCoy, D-Tulalip, Mike Sells, D-Everett, Lisa Brown, D-Spokane, Mary Helen Roberts, D-Edmonds, and Darlene Fairley, D-Lake Forest Park.

This bill establishes a family leave insurance fund, paid for by a payroll premium of two pennies an hour. If you need to take care of a newborn or newly adopted child, a seriously ill family member, or your own serious illness, you can get partial compensation of $250 a week for five weeks. Some people may scoff at $250 a week. But it will go a long way to enabling you to pay the mortgage and buy groceries.

Ideologues would have us believe that it should be an individual's responsibility to figure out how to cope and care at the same time. But in a democracy, you can't unravel individual well-being from the greater good of society. The two go hand-in-hand. That's one of the reasons we have universal public K-12 education, good public colleges and vaccination campaigns. Everyone should have some modicum of educational opportunity, health security and economic security. Newborn infants, as well as the ill, injured and aging, need some tender loving care. But it is hard to provide TLC when you can't afford to leave your work.

Consider the plight of this mom from south King County. Her son was born six weeks premature, in need of intense medical care. She and her husband had accumulated less time off than planned, because of her son's premature birth. "There was no way we could take any additional time off unpaid - money was already tight in spite of our two full-time jobs. As a result, I gave birth on Thursday and was back to work on Monday."

For the next three weeks, this mom went to work, left early to drive from Kent to Seattle, spent a few precious hours with her new baby, and then fought rush hour traffic in order to pick up her older son before the child-care center closed. She says that these were, by far, "the most difficult days of my entire life. If I could have had even $250 a week of replacement wages I would have been able to be with my baby during this critical time."

We are supposed to be a society that values families and work. The newest (and oldest) policy consensus about early learning is that parents are their children's best and most important caregivers, protectors and teachers. And yet, we don't provide the minimums to enable people to balance family and work. We expect parents to perform juggling acts for their loved ones, while imperiling their income and their employment. Family leave insurance would help workers bridge this gap between family and finances.

A recent poll regarding this proposal for family leave insurance gained support from three out of four likely voters. In Northwest Washington, including Snohomish County, and Southeast Washington, including the Tri-Cities, four out of five voters support family leave insurance. Sixty percent of self-identified Republicans support family leave insurance, including majority support from Republican men.

The policy makes sense. The people's interest is tangible. The Senate has passed legislation establishing family leave insurance to its Rules Committee. There are a few steps to go - consideration by the full Senate, and then consideration by the House of Representatives. Our legislators should know that it is not an act of high courage to pass this legislation - it is an act of common sense, and common decency.

John Burbank, executive director of the Economic Opportunity Institute (www.eoionline.org), writes every other Wednesday. Write to him in care of the institute at 1900 Northlake Way, Suite 237, Seattle, WA 98103. His e-mail address is john@eoionline.org.
© 2009The Daily Herald Co., Everett, WA