Paid Family Leave Launches in Connecticut

December 1 marked the launch of Paid Family Leave benefits for workers in Connecticut, following a years long campaign resulting in legislative action led by Julie Kushner, Senate chair of the Labor and Public Employees Committee with co-chair Rep Robyn Porter..

At a press event held on Wednesday, Sen Kushner make the following statement:

“Today is a very exciting day for working families of Connecticut! Today, workers can file applications for Paid Family Leave benefits which will begin January 1st. CT workers will no longer have to choose between caring for a loved one and their paycheck.

“When I ran for office in 2018, I did so with the belief that we could make a difference in Hartford. Paid Family Leave was my top priority for the 2019 legislative session.

“We did it, we got the job done! Now Connecticut working families have one of the best paid leave programs in the country. Thank you to all the advocates, all of my colleagues, the Administration and the Paid Leave Authority who worked so hard to make Paid Family Leave a reality.”

On Saturday December 11^th Sen Kushner will accept the People's World Amistad Award along with Pastor Rodney Wade of the Recovery for All coalition and Azucena Santiago fast food worker and member organizer with 32BJ SEIU. The virtual event will stand 'In Solidarity” with the unions at Yale, the AFT CT / community struggle at Windham Hospital, and with striking 1199 members at Sunrise Inc. To register and receive a zoom link e-mail: ct-pww@pobox.com.

The Campaign for Paid Family Leave organized the grass roots effort, led by CWEALF (Connecticut Women's Educational And Legal Fund) advocating for the passage of one of the strongest paid leave laws in the nation in 2019.

The Paid Family and Medical Leave Act (PFMLA) offers Connecticut workers the opportunity to take time to attend to personal and family health needs without worrying about lost income. The CT Paid Leave Authority provides Connecticut’s workforce access to paid family and medical leave benefits by offering helpful tools and resources to help administer this new program.

Applications can be made online at CT Paid Leave or by calling 877-499-8606.