Without a federal right to paid family and medical leave, young workers in particular – who often work in low-wage, hourly jobs – are being forced to make impossible choices every day, often at the expense of their career goals and attachment to the workforce. With our help, 14 states have passed state-level paid leave programs that have supported millions of workers who need time off to bond with a new child, care for a seriously ill loved one, or recover from their own serious health conditions. However, millions of workers aren’t covered by these lifeline programs, including Louisiana.
Louisiana has one of the highest poverty rates of any state in the country, largely due to structural factors and systemic inequities. Currently, Louisiana does not provide private sector workers or K-12 educators with any guaranteed right to paid leave; in fact, 69% of all employees in the state do not have access to paid leave. Moreso, only 34% of Louisianians are eligible for unpaid, job-protected leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act, due to strict eligibility requirements for coverage. Each year, Louisianians are unable to take 195,000 leaves that they need and lose $850 million in wages due to unpaid or partially paid leave, including $455 million lost by women.
There are at least 3 million caregivers under age 25 in this country, and for young Louisianans who are just finding their footing in the workforce, balancing health and caregiving needs with their jobs is crucial. Policies that provide paid leave for workers, especially young workers just beginning their careers, can play a foundational role in protecting their economic security.
On June 4th, we attended Opportunity Youth Day at the Louisiana Capitol in Baton Rouge, where we joined partners as members of the Louisiana Opportunity Youth Alliance (LOYAL) in advocating for policies that would increase access to opportunities for young people who have become disconnected from school and work. We had the privilege of speaking with young Louisianans about the supports they need at work and school as they gathered to make their voices heard.
All of them emphasized the importance of showing up to legislative spaces and advocating for policy change, and many had firsthand experiences with losing their paychecks or their jobs when they needed to care for themselves or a loved one. The young people we spoke with understood that access to supportive policies, like paid family and medical leave and paid sick time, would enhance not only their lives, but those of their loved ones and communities. The solution is clear: paid leave for all.
Read on to hear young Louisianans discuss what access to paid leave would mean for them and their families.
Miesha, 23, New Orleans
My mom, she just had a kidney transplant. She was on dialysis for maybe one to two years, and it was actually good that she did get a kidney that fast, because a lot of people don’t. She didn’t have anyone to be in the hospital with her. I’m her oldest daughter and I have her grandson, so it was hard for me. I had to take off days from work and make sure I had people [to provide childcare], because I couldn’t bring a two-year-old to the hospital. I got to bring him every now and then, but it just was hard around that time. I didn’t get paid for any of those days. Sometimes recovery doesn’t go as planned, so I had to take a few days off, and my check was short when I came back, so it was a lose-win, because my mom was feeling better but my money was low. It impacted me, because I had to wait til the next pay period to pay rent, and pay other bills. It’s important to make sure your loved ones are okay, especially when you’re all they have.
When I was pregnant, I worked a little bit, but I had bad morning sickness. When my son was two months, I started working right away. It was hard, stepping away from work, because I always worked my whole life. It was hard that I had to stop, but I had to make sure me and my son were okay. I feel like it would be a phenomenal thing for me, if I got those days off, because I don’t call off. But when I call off, it’s really important, and it’s to either tend to my son or deal with my mom. I try to balance it out, but if you miss one day of work and you don’t get paid for it, it sucks. Your paycheck sucks after that.
Santos, age 16, from New Orleans
It’s important to show [young workers] support because they go through a lot. You don’t know what’s going on with their mental and physical health, especially if they’ve got other things to worry about like school or college, or pregnancy. Especially with work and making sure you can pay your bills, it gets frustrating.
My mom had carpal tunnel surgery. She’s been out [from work] for almost three weeks, and she’s about to start working in two weeks. She had to take unpaid time off. Her health came first, and she had to take it. I’m sure a lot of people don’t know about [paid leave]. It’s a benefit for people, and if we can get the word out and let people know about this, people would view this stuff with a different perspective.
Nettie, age 25, from New Orleans
[Paid family and medical leave] will help you if something comes up unexpectedly where you need time off, and it’s supposed to help you in your time of need. When it comes to young people, they need our support, 100%. Especially in school. We’ve got to have their back, at work especially, because they’re young.
I had gotten in a car accident, and I broke my neck and my arm, so I needed time off. I had to fill out a lot of paperwork to make sure I still had my job when I was back on my feet. I was out for eight months. It was all unpaid. I wasn’t able to pay my bills, so I had to figure out something and save my money. [Paid leave] would benefit me a lot, because if something like that was to happen again, I wouldn’t worry about bills or making sure I eat, or any of that.
Pop, age 19, New Orleans
Supporting young people at school and at work, I feel like that’s common sense, because we’re the future. Every young generation is going to be the new future of things. It’s important to teach people the right things.
I would like for [elected officials] to actually take action instead of just saying what they’re going to do. Actions speak louder than words. I’d feel relieved [if I had access to paid leave].
Kayla, age 24, from New Orleans
Being young, we always feel like the world is on our back and on our shoulders. Closed mouths don’t get fed. If no one else speaks for us, how would they know what we need? My sister actually just welcomed a new baby. But unfortunately, she can’t use work leave, so she is depending on the rest of us to help take care of her and the baby and the bills. It does become a lot, because even though she is the oldest, we’re a lot [younger than] her, so we’re taking on a big role and responsibilities, but it takes a village.
Being a medical assistant, I love what I do. I love helping people. To know that I could do that without worrying about my financial needs and issues, that’d be great. [If we had paid leave,] I think we could get more people into the field and working.
