Teachers and legislators rallied together at the Capitol steps earlier this month to advocate for legislation that will grant public school employees up to 14 weeks of paid pregnancy leave.
Among those in attendance was California Teachers Association member, kindergarten teacher and recent mother Erika Jones. She reminded those not in the school system that “teachers have absolutely zero paid pregnancy leave.”
California Teachers Association Secretary-Treasurer, teacher and recent mother Erika Jones outside of the Capitol rallying for paid pregnancy leave legislation.Srishti Prabha/CapRadio
AB 2901, which was authored by Assembly member Cecilia Aguiar-Curry and co-authored by members of the Legislative Women’s Caucus, endeavors to change discriminatory practices against women in the workforce.
In a state like California — where 73% of educators were reported to be women as of 2018 — the disproportionate impact of unpaid pregnancy leave contributes to less economic mobility for women, argues Aguiar-Curry.
“There's no sugarcoating this, friends, the law straight up discriminates against women,” she said at the rally. “I have no doubt that if this was a situation that affected a male-dominated profession, it would have been solved decades ago.”
The legislation is co-sponsored by California State Treasurer Fiona Ma and the State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, both of whom are a product of teaching mothers and spoke in support of the policy at the Capitol.
“As the son of a teacher, I can tell you that I believe this is a very urgent measure for us,” said Thurmond. “It's the right thing to do to recruit and retain great educators.”
Before her pregnancy, Jones had to accrue enough sick time to take a paid leave of absence. Otherwise, she would’ve had to work enough hours to qualify for unpaid time through Family and Medical Leave, also known as FMLA. She planned for a summer pregnancy to reduce time off requests.
“This [bill] would ensure that we have options and dignity around building our families,” explained Jones. And as a Black woman and an educator working with communities of color, she felt the barriers to family planning were significantly more, citing the studies that confront the complications Black women face during pregnancy.
“When you're trying to build a family, you're forcing yourself to go to school when you're sick [because] you don't have the time,” said Jones.
She also mentioned the pay cut many teachers of color take to work in their own communities: “You're already in a situation where you're getting lower pay, can't afford to own a home where you live and can't afford basic needs.”
Pregnancy leave, which should be a basic right, feels like a luxury, said Jones. Only nine states currently offer paid pregnancy leave for teachers.
This bill will be heard by Assembly committees this legislative session.
Srishti Prabha is an education reporter and Report For America corps member in collaboration with CapRadio and The Sacramento Observer. Their focus is K-12 education in Sacramento’s Black communities.
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