Paid When It Matters
Bills don’t wait, timely benefits keep workers and families thriving
In 2025, We partnered with CODE, a Black-owned consulting firm, to conduct a survey of Black mothers and birthgivers. Our goal was to understand the connections between work, maternal health and postpartum. Our study highlighted gaps within state-funded paid leave programs that prevented mothers and birthgivers from accessing Paid Family Leave (PFL) & State Disability Insurance (SDI). It also underscored a significant knowledge gap as many respondents were unaware of their rights and did not receive guidance from their employers on how to access state-funded paid leave systems.
Workers far beyond the pregnancy context are severely impacted by systemic barriers of the CA PFL & SDI systems. Although California has some of the most progressive social safety-net programs, these programs fail to provide the necessary stability needed to properly heal from illness or medical needs, care for, and/or bond with new family members. Oftentimes working mothers and birth-givers are forced to return to work far before they are ready because they do not receive sufficient supplemental income in a timely manner.
Black working mothers are the least likely to use paid leave. The examples below highlight how income inequality and racism increase health disparities:
For a worker to receive benefits, they are forced to undergo a mandatory unpaid seven day waiting period.
A worker can only submit PLF claims after their leave begins, leaving them without pay. Additionally processing delays force workers to miss even more pay. These barriers often force workers to return to work to avoid compromising their economic stability.
EDD can take up to 3 weeks to process a claim after it’s filed, and many applicants reported longer delays with processing their payments.
Our goal is to build a Black worker-led campaign to address disparities in the CA social-safety net programs. We will also identify statewide legislators to sponsor the campaign and champion the policy reforms. A campaign led by Black workers and addressing the needs of Black workers will make the system work better for all workers.
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SB 1090 was passed in September 2024 to allow workers to apply for PFL and SDI benefits up to 30 days before their leave and requires EDD to issue payment within 14 days. Currently this system is not operative and is expected to be completed in 2031.
This campaign is funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation through a sub-grant from the Rutgers Center for Women and Work.