Women’s Group Says It Will Push For Paid Family Leave Insurance

The national group 9to5, which represents working women, says it plans to push for paid family and medical leave in Wisconsin.

Meanwhile, Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce (WMC), the state’s largest business group, wants changes of a different kind.

9to5 organized rallies in seven Wisconsin cities today calling for better work-family policies. At a noontime gathering outside the state Capitol, Wisconsin’s 9to5 director, Dana Schultz, noted four states have paid family leave insurance for medium and large employers.

Such programs allow workers to receive a portion of pay while they take off work to care for family, address personal medical issues, or care for a baby.

“We’re going to push for family leave insurance – you watch for it,” said Schultz at the rally. “It’s going to be ‘mompartisan’.”

Meanwhile, WMC says on its website that it’s working on a legislative reform package. WMC’s Chris Reader says the differences between the federal and state policies are “burdensome” for businesses, especially those operating in multiple states.

In addition, he says, some workers abuse the system by stacking both federal and state leave on top of each other.

Wisconsin’s Family and Medical Leave Act provides up to 10 weeks of unpaid time off. It was signed into law by Gov. Tommy Thompson and took effect before the federal policy.