Community Forum: Vermont needs paid family leave

As we strive to build a state that works for everyone, it’s a harsh reality that almost 75% of Vermont workers lack access to paid family and medical leave.

With little debate and by a 24-6 vote, the Vermont Senate gave preliminary approval on Thursday, March 30, to a bill that would inject $150 million a year of new funding into the childcare sector and create a new parental leave benefit.

I am a working-class mother of a 9-year-old child here in Ripton, Vt. This last year I struggled with a severe medical condition that required intensive ongoing treatment.

It’s a new biennium, but a return to a familiar battle for Rep. Robin Scheu.

Three years after Gov. Phil Scott first signed a contract with state employees that would provide them with paid family and medical leave and anchor a voluntary program for other employers in Vermont, the Republican governor has announced that his adminis … (read more)

Republican Gov. Phil Scott’s announcement to launch a paid leave program for state employees is a cynical, political move that has sparked deserved criticism.

Without a comprehensive, statewide universal paid leave policy, inconsistencies in policies among different Vermont employers leave employees to advocate for themselves. In Vermont, activists and state representatives said they hope to change that situati … (read more)

MIDDLEBURY — Local lawmakers on Monday warned that Gov. Phil Scott’s recent veto of bills aimed at increasing the minimum wage and creating a paid family leave program will make it harder to accomplish one of his top priorities: Attracting and retaining m … (read more)

Democrats have long been the champions of working families, women and children. We believe in a Vermont where our families and communities can thrive and where the Vermont dream is accessible to everyone — not just a select few. When we rewrite the rules … (read more)