What the union did not mention was that they are also paying for an ad campaign to help sway public opinion in favor of this policy. Last night, while reading this (depressing) article about the Penn Station and the state of our infrastructure, I came across an ad for paid parental leave. That's Emily James in the picture. The link takes you to a recent NY1 interview between Ms. James, Councilman Tryeger from Brooklyn and Michael Mulgrew around parental leave.
The click was worth it. I was proud to see my union president act and speak on this issue. Ms. James described a colleague who had to wait six years before having a second child because of the lack of paid maternity leave. Tryeger summed it all up perfectly: 'We either care about families or we don't" and "it's shameful this isn't policy already".
I agree. It's Totally Shameful. Mulgrew's letter is below. The link to the letter writing campaign to the mayor is here. And if you haven't signed the (now 83,000 strong) petition, feel free to do that here.
Dear John, Mayor Bill de Blasio made headlines in 2015 when he promised paid parental leave for city employees. Two years later, his administration and the Department of Education have failed to extend that benefit to public school educators — the very people who have devoted their lives to caring for the city's children. That’s not progressive — that’s just wrong. Please send an email NOW to Mayor Bill de Blasio telling him to support paid parental leave for UFT members. And ask your local Council member to support the UFT push for paid parental leave. It’s time for the de Blasio administration to deal fairly with public school educators. We need the help of our Council reps to get that message across to him. Thank you for taking action. Sincerely, |
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