A Better Balance Community Advocate

Amir Keinan, North Carolina

Amir, a husband and father of two, had been working for over 12 years in early childhood and special education in New York City. Faced with a sudden change in his son’s ability to attend school due to health complications, Amir requested to take NY Paid Family Leave in order to care for him. Amir’s employer discouraged him from taking leave on an intermittent basis, eventually sending an email threatening his termination. At that time, Amir called A Better Balance for clarification about what legal protections he had, which gave him the confidence to continue asserting his rights, including his right to switch to full-time leave when that became necessary for him and his family. In the end, Amir received the NY Paid Family Leave benefits he was entitled to, which allowed him to stay current with his bills while taking the time he needed to focus on the wellbeing of his son, and was able to do so without fear of losing his job. Though he and his family have since relocated to North Carolina, Amir is proud to continue being an advocate for federal legislation to ensure that paid family and medical leave is available to all Americans, regardless of which state they live in, as he believes every person can and should be afforded this same peace of mind when they must care for family members’ health and wellbeing.

Scroll to Top