No state or city in America guarantees paid personal time for workers, including nearly a million New Yorkers. It pains me to think about all the birthdays, first days of school, graduations and other special moments I’ve missed because I couldn’t afford to lose my job – or even a single paycheck – by taking a day off work.

My name is Yanelia and I’m a mother of five from the Bronx. To make ends meet and put food on the table, I’m employed at a nail salon where I haven’t had a single work day off to rest or spend with my children in 10 years.

Stand with me in urging the New York City Council to pass legislation RIGHT NOW that would guarantee the right to 10 days of Paid Personal Time. New York would be the first city to make this change, inspiring a wave of change across the country.

No job should cause anyone to miss all the important moments that make life special for everyone. And what we really can’t afford is to keep working so hard that life just passes us by.

Nail salon workers, cooks, cleaners, servers, childcare providers, and domestic workers, and all other working New Yorkers and Americans should be treated with dignity and respect.

We deserve a break to take care of ourselves and those we love. We don’t deserve to be treated like batteries that are thrown away and replaced once drained.

SIGN NOW to make a life-changing difference for working families like mine. Tell the New York City Council: Pass Paid Personal Time legislation today!