NC Democratic lawmakers push paid leave, minimum wage hikes ...Middle East

The North Carolina Legislative Building in Raleigh. (Photo: Clayton Henkel/NC Newsline)

North Carolina Democratic lawmakers on Tuesday advocated for bills proposing comprehensive paid family leave and minimum wage increases during back-to-back press conferences at the Legislative Building in Raleigh. They framed the proposals as urgent measures to ease the financial strain on workers needing time off for family and medical needs and those struggling with the cost of living.

Paid time off

In the first event, Senate Democratic Leader Sydney Batch of Wake County joined nonprofit advocates in renewing a longstanding appeal for paid leave legislation that would give North Carolina workers greater access to paid time off. Batch opened the press conference by highlighting the stark reality facing North Carolina workers: 79% of the state’s workforce — approximately 4 million people —have no paid leave through their jobs. She shared a heart-wrenching story of a mother forced to leave her premature child in the hospital to continue working, returning to the neonatal intensive care unit after hours and spending each night there before going home.

“In a society that is so well-resourced, it is outrageous that we don’t provide paid leave for individuals and that is something that absolutely needs to change,” said Batch, a sponsor of the NC Paid Family Leave Insurance Act (Senate Bill 480).

About 20% of U.S. workers do not have access to paid sick leave, and 73% lack paid family leave, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The U.S. is among a small number of countries worldwide that do not require employers to offer paid sick leave or paid maternity leave.

In North Carolina, while some workers have access to unpaid leave due to the Family and Medical Leave Act, many are ineligible, and many more cannot afford to take time off without pay. Senate Bill 480 would allow workers up to 12 weeks of paid time off for major life events, such as caring for newborns or tending to sick relatives.

The proposal modeled loosely on Social Security, would be funded through small weekly contributions from employers and employees. This approach aims to make paid leave accessible to everyone, including small business owners, self-employed workers, and part-time employees.  

Rep. Laura Budd (D-Mecklenburg), a small business owner and mother, explained how the current system disadvantages small and medium businesses competing for talent against larger corporations that can offer comprehensive benefits. “This bill helps level the playing field,” Budd said.

For almost two decades, legislation to allow North Carolina workers to earn paid sick time has been introduced but has not received a committee hearing in the Republican-controlled legislature. Advocates say this lack of action leaves many working North Carolinians without paid time off to recover from illness, care for sick loved ones, or access preventive health care.

“If you’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it a hundred times,” Batch said. “There are so many families who are struggling with regards with just being able to make ends meet. Most of them are living paycheck–to-paycheck and they don’t have the ability to take any leave.”

Raising the state’s minimum wages

Later in the morning, another group of Democratic lawmakers held a second press conference to unveil twin bills aimed at raising the state’s hourly and tipped minimum wages, which have not changed since 2009. The proposed Economic Security Act (House Bill 339, Senate Bill 326) would raise North Carolina’s minimum wage to $22 per hour. It would also phase out the lower minimums that employers can pay restaurant workers and others who regularly get tips — $2.13 per hour. A separate measure, the Fair Minimum Wage Act (House Bill 353), proposes a more gradual increase, lifting the state’s minimum wage to $18 per hour by 2030.

“The people of North Carolina work hard and put their all into everything that they do,” said Sen. Natalie Murdock (D-Chatham, Durham), a sponsor of the Senate wage bill. “They deserve to be paid every single dime that they are worth. They are worth more than what they are getting today.”

The proposal also includes provisions for paid sick days, workplace safety protections, and reinstating the Earned Income Tax Credit. “More than half of Americans are just one paycheck away from homelessness,” said Murdock. “That is unacceptable. We can and we must do better for our state.”

Both efforts face steep odds in the Republican-controlled legislature, where similar proposals have stalled for years.

But advocates stressed broader economic stakes: The NC Justice Center estimates a $15 minimum wage could inject $4.5 million into the economy, while paid leave backers argue it would reduce turnover and boost productivity.

The Democratic lawmakers promoted the bills Tuesday as part of a lobbying day for worker advocates.

“Full time minimum wage workers earn $15,000 yearly. That’s a death sentence,” said Rep. Marcia Morey (D-Durham), noting the state ranks last nationally for worker conditions.

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