Tell Congress: Make Universal Paid Sick Leave and Family Medical Leave Permanent

The COVID-19, also known as coronavirus, pandemic has exposed the public disgrace that millions of workers, mostly women, in the U.S. face.

They are unable to take time off because they do not have one day of paid sick leave or paid family medical leave.

Additionally, one in three private sector workers in the U.S. do not have paid sick days. 

Take action now and urge Congress to pass paid sick and family medical leave for all immediately.

Sandy Robson, left, and Crystal Hall rally for paid sick leave in Annapolis, Maryland in 2018. (Brian Witte / The Associated Press)

The majority of those affected are low wage workers, and seven in 10 of those workers are women who make less than $10 per hour—many whom are the sole provider for their families. 

This is a public health crisis and we must enact mandatory paid sick and family medical leave for all U.S. workers permanently. No paid sick leave or family medical leave endangers the health of workers and their families, as well as the general public. 

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Nearly a dozen states, as well as 24 cities, have passed mandatory paid sick leave. Studies have shown in those jurisdictions that have universal paid sick leave, incidents of the flu have decreased by about 40 percent.

Feminists have been fighting for decades for paid sick and family medical leave—now is the time for Congress to take action.

Take Action

Tell Congress to pass universal paid sick leave and paid family medical leave—not just in response to the COVID-19 crisis, but permanently.


The coronavirus pandemic and the response by federal, state and local authorities is fast-moving.

During this time, Ms. is keeping a focus on aspects of the crisis—especially as it impacts women and their families—often not reported by mainstream media.

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About

Eleanor Smeal is president of the Feminist Majority Foundation and publisher of Ms. For over five decades, she has played a leading role in both national and state campaigns to win women’s rights legislation, including the Equal Rights Amendment.