Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1530930
M O R E T H A N 6 0 0 educators and allies gathered at a CTA vir- tual Town Hall on Nov. 21 to discuss what's next in the push for pregnancy leave for public school educators. The upshot: Keep organizing! Be ready to support the CTA-sponsored Pregnancy Leave for Educators Act, AB 65, introduced by Asm. Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters) in Decem- ber. AB 65 would provide all public school employees with up to 14 weeks of fully paid leave for pregnancy and pregnancy-related health conditions. See page 29 for ways to get involved. "e impact of passing this crucial legislation will be immea- surable," said CTA Secretary-Treasurer and new mother Erika Jones. "In addition to supporting mothers and their families in one of the largest, predominantly-female led workforces, AB 65 will benefit all of California's children by helping the state's pub- lic schools recruit and retain teachers." Jones facilitated the town hall, telling participants, "[AB 65] is a legislative priority for CTA." She made reference to the effort to pass a similar bill in the last legislative session. "We're going to continue the momentum, continue to build and look forward to winning this." Town hall speakers included Aguiar-Curry as well as several CTA members who talked about their experience with the lack of pregnancy leave and its impact on their lives. Aguiar-Curry spoke of the need to "educate" new legislators in particular about the importance of pregnancy leave; she stressed that people need to understand that the lack of it means educa- tors end up leaving the profession and "we can't replace them." e discussion focused on several key points: • Lack of pregnancy leave in California disproportionately discriminates against women, who make up 73% of the teacher workforce. Because women must deplete their sick time with each pregnancy, they have substantially fewer sick Clockwise, from top left: CTA Secretary-Treasurer Erika Jones, Natomas Teachers Assn. President Mara Harvey, San Mateo Elementary Teachers Assn. member Tara Dixon, Redlands Teachers Assn. member Susan Abt. PREGNANCY LEAVE O U R F I G H T C O N T I N U E S F O R The time is now! 28 cta.org Advocacy