Cuomo At Rally For Paid Parental Leave: 'It's Going To Be A Challenge'
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is traveling across the state to gain support for his legislative agenda, making a stop on Wednesday for a rally in Harlem promoting paid parental leave.
Cuomo's proposal would give workers 12 weeks of job-protected paid parental leave for the care of a new child or for the care of a sick relative.
"We tend to find common ground, but this is an aggressive proposal and it's not without opposition," Cuomo said. "So it's going to be a challenge."
42 elected officials, labor leaders, community groups, advocacy orgs throughout #WNY join our #LeadOnLeave campaign: https://t.co/XULpxsLtRd
— Archive: Governor Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) February 17, 2016
The proposal would force employers to deduct up to 60 cents per week so employees could take up to 12 weeks off and get 35 percent of their usual paycheck, WCBS 880's Rich Lamb reported in January.
The governor told supporters this is the year to pass the agenda, WCBS 880's Ginny Kosola reported.
"Let's do something about failing schools, let's turn them into community schools, let's give them the resources they need, let's make work pay, raise that minimum wage to $15 dollars, let people live a decent life and balance it with their family and pass paid family leave," Cuomo said.
The proposal has gained the support of more than a dozen state advocacy groups, including the New York State Conference of the NAACP and Communities For A Change.
Mayor Bill de Blasio signed an order mandating six weeks of paid parental leave for around 20,000 non-union employees earlier this year.