The United States is one of the few nations on the planet where paid family and medical leave or earned sick time is not the law of the land.

Tom Perez’s quote highlights the absence of paid family and medical leave in the United States, positioning it as an outlier among developed nations. He points out that the U.S. is one of the few countries where earned sick time is not mandated by law, a reflection of the country's relatively limited worker protections compared to many other nations. This gap in policy places the U.S. in a position where workers are often left to fend for themselves when it comes to taking time off for family or medical reasons, which can create significant financial and personal challenges.

Perez’s statement underscores the importance of family leave and sick time as essential components of a modern workplace policy, recognizing them as basic rights that contribute to the well-being and stability of workers and families. Countries with paid family leave allow parents to care for newborns, sick children, or elderly relatives without facing the financial strain of lost wages, fostering both social and economic stability. The absence of such policies in the U.S. is seen by many as a missed opportunity to support working families, particularly those who cannot afford to take unpaid leave.

The lack of a national policy on paid leave is also seen as a reflection of broader workplace inequality in the U.S. While workers in other countries benefit from policies designed to support health, family, and work-life balance, many American workers face a choice between their job security and their personal or family health needs. Perez’s statement calls attention to the need for systemic policy changes that align the U.S. with the rest of the developed world in terms of supporting workers through comprehensive leave policies.

This quote likely originates from Perez’s work as a politician and labor advocate, where he has long championed stronger worker protections and policies to address inequalities in the workplace. As a former Labor Secretary under President Obama, Perez has been a vocal proponent of initiatives that support the economic and personal well-being of American workers, particularly in areas like paid family leave, which remains a highly debated issue in U.S. policy.