for Partners

Paid Sick Days

You would think that living through a pandemic would move our leaders to ensure that all working North Carolinians have access to paid sick days. Unfortunately – and shockingly – you’d be wrong.  

What’s more, a recent report from the North Carolina Justice Center estimated that the lack of paid sick days is costing our state’s economy $8.4 billion a year. With so much on the line in terms of our economic well being and public health, how can we afford NOT to do something?

This paragraph can be customized to talk about your experience taking paid or unpaid sick days. Your story helps tell our future leaders why paid sick days are important and shows others that they’re not alone. Some prompts are below: 

• A 2021 survey showed that two out of three service industry workers came to work sick. That’s not surprising, since low-wage workers are less likely to have paid sick days. This puts their coworkers and their customers at risk. During my time working in [the restaurant industry/the service industry]… 

• COVID-19 brought the need for paid sick days into the spotlight, but we still need paid sick days today. In places with paid sick days, rates of illness like the flu are 30 to 40% lower than those without these laws. Recently, I had the experience of… 

• The lack of paid sick days is costing our state’s businesses $1.7 billion a year. As a North Carolina business owner, I am concerned because…

Fifteen other states  have passed legislation to guarantee paid sick days for all. It’s time for our elected leaders to take the necessary steps to protect all working people and their families.  

Unemployment Insurance

In 2013, our leaders gutted the state’s unemployment system, taking it from average among the states to the worst in the country. As we watch the horizon for signs of a new recession, jobseekers in North Carolina are left balancing the stress of looking for a new job with the stress of trying to make ends meet. Working families deserve better than chump change, especially when facing an unexpected job loss through no fault of their own.  

This paragraph can be customized to talk about the need to improve our UI system and/or tell your story. Facts and stories help tell our future leaders why we urgently need a robust UI program and shows others that they’re not alone. Some prompts are below: 

• Before 2013, North Carolina used to be on par with other states in offering UI benefits for 26 weeks. Now, our state only offers 12 weeks of benefits, even though many people aren’t able to find employment within that timeframe. When I was searching for a job… 

• North Carolina’s maximum  weekly unemployment benefit amount  is a mere $350. But our state’s maximum benefit used to be $550. That’s a big difference for families dealing with job loss and raising that maximum benefit amount would allow many jobseekers to better make ends meet while navigating the job search.

• Our state economy is losing $1.57 billion each year because of our lackluster unemployment system. As a business owner, I feel supporting our unemployment system is important because…

• Improving our state’s UI system will also make for a more racially just North Carolina. Black working people are more likely to face unemployment than white working people for a number of reasons related to structural racism. Yet Black jobseekers are only half as likely to receive unemployment benefits as white jobseekers. It’s shameful that anyone in our communities is forced to go without a safety net during a time of stress or uncertainty. We must do better.  

Unemployment benefits help working families navigate unexpected job loss to ensure bills can get paid and food can go on the table. Our elected leaders can’t view unemployment insurance as expendable. Ask them to commit to improving this vital program so everyone has a fair chance at getting back on their feet.

Childcare

Quality, affordable, appropriate, and safe childcare is essential to keeping parents in the workforce. But our state is in the midst of a childcare crisis. Parents are struggling to find and afford care, especially in rural areas, and many childcare centers in our state are at risk of shutting down. We need legislative leaders who will properly invest in our childcare system. 

This paragraph can be customized to talk about the need to invest in our childcare system and/or tell your story of struggling to find or afford a childcare spot, or of being a childcare provider in an underfunded system. Facts and stories help tell our future leaders why we urgently need increased childcare funding and shows other parents that they’re not alone. Some sample prompts are below: 

• The average cost of infant care in child care centers in North Carolina is a whopping $12,000 a year. And that’s if parents are lucky enough to find a spot at all. When I was seeking childcare for my kid….
• The childcare funding the North Carolina legislature approved in July 2024 will run out by the end of this year. This means more centers will close, and more parents will be out of luck when looking for care. As a childcare provider/parent, I am concerned because…
• The median wage for childcare teachers in North Carolina in 2023 was just $13.99/hour. I work in childcare and what it means to have such low wages for providers is (ex: high turnover, burnout, staffing problems)…
• The childcare crisis in North Carolina is costing parents, businesses and taxpayers $3.5 billion each year. As a business owner I believe we should fully fund child care because…
• Childcare is a hot-button issue with North Carolina voters; 77% of voters surveyed by the NC Chamber last year said they believe the lack of affordable child care is a serious problem. As a voter, I will be supporting candidates who have a plan to address this in November because…

Childcare providers are the workforce that makes others’ work possible. And working parents have been pushed to their limits. We must elect leaders who will do what is needed for our state’s families and its economy and properly invest in childcare!