The following is a statement from A Better Balance, which leads the coalition of nearly 50 organizations across health, labor and small business working to guarantee workers access to adequate paid medical leave in New York:
“The New York TDI reform coalition is deeply disappointed and frustrated by the New York State Assembly’s failure to vote on A. 84, an overdue bill approved by the State Senate that would reform New York’s outdated paid medical leave program. The Assembly’s inaction is shocking given the bill reflected an already agreed-upon compromise between both houses of the legislature, and was poised to pass in the Assembly with bipartisan support from 89 co-sponsors. As everyday New Yorkers face an unprecedented affordability crisis, a disgraceful Black pregnancy-related death rate, and growing child poverty rates, we must ask our leaders why they have allowed another year to pass without making basic changes to one of our state’s most vital safety nets for workers. Our lawmakers have failed New Yorkers across the state—especially those in low-wage and hourly jobs, disproportionately women and people of color—forcing them to survive on $170 a week while battling serious health conditions.
Failure to reform New York’s Temporary Disability Insurance (TDI) program has devastating consequences. Through A Better Balance’s free and confidential legal helpline, we hear from workers across New York State who need paid medical leave for an array of reasons, like a challenging pregnancy, a need to recover after giving birth, sudden illness or injury, or a cancer diagnosis. Each and every one of them are shocked and dismayed at the prospect of living on just $170 dollars a week, with no job-protection or guarantee of continued health insurance coverage. Some workers have faced eviction as a result of TDI’s paltry benefit amount, while others have been fired and lost health insurance coverage when they need it most.
Every day that this bill is delayed, more New Yorkers are forced to make the impossible choice between their health and their paycheck. Some of these workers forego the leave from work altogether, sacrificing their health to put food on the table. Others, with no other option than to take time off to address serious medical conditions, grapple with mounting debt, housing insecurity, and acute stress, oftentimes leading to worse health outcomes.
In 1949, when the TDI program was first created, New York responded to the health needs of its workforce by creating one of the first paid medical leave programs in the country. New York again led the way in 2016 when it passed the first paid family leave program. But now, we have fallen unacceptably behind: Fourteen states and counting have paid family and medical programs, and New York ranks dead last among them when it comes to paid medical leave, providing nearly five times less money than the next lowest state. Our neighbors in New Jersey and Connecticut both offer a benefit amount of around $1,000 per week to workers needing paid medical leave, and continue to have thriving economies.
Though our coalition is deeply disappointed by the New York legislature’s failure to pass A.84, we will be back next year fighting for reliable paid medical leave for all New Yorkers. We will continue to urge Assembly leadership to pass this legislation, which the majority of members support, and call on the Governor to prioritize this necessary reform in the year ahead.”
