Editorial: We can pay a little now for care we'll need later
With their first paycheck of the year, most workers in Washington state have — or they will soon — notice a modest deduction listed on their pay stubs, for themselves and their employers.
The deduction — 0.4 percent of gross pay — is going toward a state-managed fund that starting next year will allow participants to take family leave for the birth of a child or their or a family member’s illness and receive a weekly benefit while they are away from work.
For example, a worker making $50,000 a year will pay about $2.44 a week, joined by a $1.41 contribution from their employer. Starting in 2020, that worker needing time off would receive about $778 a week while on leave, for up to 12 weeks.
The intent of the Paid Family and Medical Leave law, which the Legislature passed in 2017, is to allow workers to take the time they need for the health of themselves and their families without burdening themselves financially. There’s an added benefit to employers in being able to retain valued employees, who might otherwise quit. And it’s a model — basically an insurance pool — whose benefits are paid by employees and the companies they work for, rather than the taxpayers.
https://www.heraldnet.com/opinion/editorial-we-can-pay-a-little-now-for-care-well-need-later/?utm_source=DAILY+HERALD&utm_campaign=d3bcc6df1f-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_d81d073bb4-d3bcc6df1f-228635337
