By Assemblymember Sandré Swanson

Successful public policy should support building and maintaining strong families. That is why I am urging the Governor to sign into law my bill, AB 537, to support the modern day nuclear family.

Assembly Bill 537 will amend California's unpaid family and medical leave law to make it a meaningful right.  Currently, the law only authorizes employees to take leave to care for a "parent, spouse, or child" with a serious medical condition.  In other words, employees may not take leave to attend to an ill sibling, grandparent, grandchild, or parent-in-law.  In recognition of the reality of today's families (and the high cost of housing in California that has forced extended families to live under one roof), Assembly Bill 537 adds seriously ill grandparents, grandchildren, siblings and in-laws to the list of family members that an employee can take job protected leave to care for under the law.  While the existing law might have been sufficient in the 1950s era of nuclear families, today's laws should reflect the reality of today's society. 

I believe that most Californians would be shocked to discover that if, for example, they had a sister who was dying of cancer; the law would not protect their right to take leave to care for her. For many people, the closest relative they have is a sibling, adult child, or grandparent. California’s leave laws should reflect the reality of today’s family dynamics. Sixteen percent of households include at least one person providing care to someone over the age of 50, and about half of these caregivers are in the workforce. California has the second highest percentage of multi-generational households in the country, and half of Californians are single. California should be at the forefront of ensuring that our family and medical leave laws accomplish the purpose for which they were intended by adapting to modern California families.

AB 537 represents a small but significant step that we can take to regain the balance between our jobs and our family lives. Governor Schwarzenegger can support working families by signing this bill into law.

Assemblymember Sandré Swanson, 16th District, representing Oakland, Alameda, and Piedmont, serves as Chairman of the Assembly Labor and Employment Committee.