Today, Virginia finalized the creation of a statewide paid family and medical leave program. With this news, Virginia became the 15th state with a paid family and medical leave program as well as the first Southern state to enact paid leave for all of its workers.
The following is a statement from A Better Balance President Inimai Chettiar:
“Virginia’s new paid family and medical leave program will significantly advance the health, wellbeing, and financial security of working families across the state. In an affordability crisis and a midterm year, Virginia’s leadership sends a clear message: Workers should no longer be forced to sacrifice their paycheck or risk their jobs as they care for themselves and their loved ones.
As Virginia becomes the first Southern state to guarantee paid leave for its entire workforce, this is a pivotal moment in the national paid leave movement. Legislators and voters across zip codes and party lines are increasingly recognizing that a strong economic agenda starts with making sure that workers can keep their job during life’s inevitable moments when health and caregiving needs arise. A need for paid leave to care for oneself and one’s family isn’t an abstract issue — it’s a basic human reality that touches every one of our lives.
As we approach midterm elections, our national lawmakers can demonstrate their commitment to increasing affordability for working families by heeding the example of states like Virginia and fighting for paid leave. It is clear that when lawmakers campaign on and deliver on policies that increase families’ financial security like paid leave, they win over voters.
We applaud Governor Spanberger and the Virginia Legislature for their leadership, and we congratulate our partners at Freedom Virginia and Voices for Virginia’s Children, who we fought alongside for eight years, on this hard-won victory.
We look forward to informing Virginia’s workers about their new rights through our free legal helpline and to supporting the implementation of this landmark new paid leave program.”