Month: February 2017

Montanans who had to leave their jobs because of health issues or family needs gathered at the Capitol in Helena on Thursday to support a bill creating a paid family and medical leave program.

House Bill 392 had its initial hearing in the Business & Labor Committee of the Montana House of Representatives.

Jemma Hazen only had access to six weeks of unpaid leave after giving birth to her son. She told lawmakers she struggled with postpartum depression and fatigue after returning to her job. Eventually she decided to leave work, leaving her family without health insurance.

“No family should have to choose between nurturing a newborn and a fulfilling career, but there are countless stories just like mine,” Hazen said.

Supporters say HB 392 will help keep people from dropping out of the workforce.

The bill is being carried by Democratic Rep. Jenny Eck of Helena, the House minority leader.

At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, Eck identified paid leave as one of House Democrats’ top priorities.

“Two of the most fundamental values we hold dear as a society, and most especially as Montanans, are to work hard and to care for our families,” said Eck. “Those two values should not be in conflict with one another.”

HB 392 would let qualifying workers receive part of their salary for up to 12 weeks while dealing with a serious health condition or caring for a new child or ill family member. The benefits would be paid for by a new state account, funded by matching contributions from businesses and employees.

The Montana Department of Labor and Industry would determine the percentage of contributions each year, but they could be no higher than one percent of an employee’s monthly wages.

Weekly paid leave would be capped at $1,000, and low-wage workers would have a larger share of their income covered. Eck said that would help maintain the fund’s solvency.

Eligibility for the benefits would be based on the same criteria as unemployment insurance.

Representatives from labor and women’s advocacy groups testified in favor of HB 392. Supporters also read testimony from several business owners who were unable to attend the meeting. They argued a paid leave could be beneficial for businesses, reducing turnover and helping attract workers.

No one testified in opposition to HB 392 at Thursday’s meeting.

The Business & Labor Committee took no immediate action on the bill.

Click here to read the full text of HB 392.

Montana lawmakers heard testimony on a bill Thursday that would create a fund to give workers paid family or medical leave from their job.

Rep. Jenny Eck, D-Helena, is carrying House Bill 392, or the Montana Family and Medical Leave Insurance Act.

Jemma Hazen testified in favor of the bill in front of the House Business and Labor Committee. She said she could have benefitted from paid time off when her son was born.

“Like many other new parents, I was forced to make the difficult choice between my personal health, the health of my son, and the satisfaction and the stability of my career,” Hazen said.

The fund would be made up of contributions split equally between the employee and employer. Or, the employer could opt to pay the entire amount. The combined amount would be no more than one percent of the employee’s monthly wages.

To receive the benefits, a worker must either have a serious health condition, or be caring for either a new child or family member with a serious health condition. It also applies if you’re caring for a covered service member who lists you as next of kin.

Rep. Jeremy Trebas, R-Great Falls, said he thinks the intentions of the bill are good, but with deductions like Social Security and Medicare already taken out of workers’ pay, “it’s just one more thing that we’re forcing employees to have taken out of their paychecks.”

No one testified in opposition to HB 392 at the hearing.

Cole Grant is a reporter with the UM Legislative News Service, a partnership of the University of Montana School of Journalism, the Montana Broadcasters Association and the Greater Montana Foundation.

At some point, nearly every worker faces a moment when they need leave, whether it’s to care for an aging parent, help a family member after surgery, recover from their own illness or injury, or welcome a new child into the family.

As the Montana Legislature debates ways to improve the lives of Montanans, I wanted to take a moment to highlight one important issue. Paid family and medical leave has been making national headlines, and here in Montana we have the opportunity to design a plan that is unique to the needs of our state, is affordable for business and employees, and helps both families and our economy.

Some of us are fortunate to have employers who provide time off for maternity leave or vacation time that can be used for medical reasons. Unfortunately, most working Montanans do not have access to any paid leave, and they are forced to make impossible choices between their paycheck and the health of themselves and their families.

The United States is the only industrialized country that does not guarantee workers paid leave. Only 13 percent of working Americans have access through their employers. Many people think that the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) helps, but the reality is that this law is not enough. It provides some employees up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave. Many people do not qualify because they work too few hours or work for businesses with fewer than 50 employees. In Montana, only one out of three workers qualify for the FMLA. Even for those who do qualify, many workers cannot afford to take unpaid leave.

Four states have successfully created statewide insurance programs that provide workers access to paid family and medical leave benefits. Through these statewide plans, workers receive a portion of their wages for a defined number of weeks to bond with a new child, recover from a serious illness or injury, or care for a loved one with a serious illness.

We can do this in Montana. We can implement a program to cover most workers, and help families make ends meet during some of the most wonderful or most difficult times of their lives. Most importantly, we can do this with modest monthly premiums. Estimates suggest that for an employee making $40,000 a year, premiums would be around $15 per month.

• Paid leave allows men and women to better balance work and caregiving responsibilities.
• Paid leave increases the likelihood that new mothers will return to work after giving birth, allowing them to earn more over their lifetimes.
• Paid leave helps when single people get hurt or sick and need the time to recover and still earn a paycheck.
• Paid leave helps parents (both men and women) take the time to bond with a new baby or take time to care for their kids if they get sick or hurt.
• Paid leave helps seniors who often need family members (spouses, partners, adult children, or siblings) to care for them as they age and would make it possible for them to stay in their home. Family should be able to help without sacrificing their job.
• What would this mean for Montana business? At a time when tens of thousands of workers will be aging out of the Montana labor force, paid leave can help businesses keep workers attached to the workforce and their business.
• Paid leave helps businesses save money through reduced employee turnover. Retaining one employee can save a business between $5,000 and $15,000.
• We know that workforce stability is critical to businesses’ success. Paid leave encourages women and low-wage workers – populations most likely to not have access to paid leave – to return to their same employers after taking leave.
• Research shows that paid leave in Montana would keep $45 million in the pockets of thousands of working families and stimulate local economies.

It is time for Montana to invest in solutions that help families balance home and work responsibilities. Montanans need and deserve the time to support themselves and their families when they are sick.

We can do this. It is affordable. It is important. Paid family and medical leave is good for moms, dads, kids, seniors, businesses, the economy, and most importantly, families.

Representative Jenny Eck – Guest Editorial

Paid family and medical leave has been in the news this past year. It helps families care for each other whether they are newborns or aging parents. It helps individuals recover from serious illness or injuries. It can also save the lives of victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking.

Survivors do not have the option of “scheduling” their trauma, and they often delay leaving an abusive relationship because of economic worries. One of the best predictors of whether a victim will separate from her abuser is economic independence. A 2012 Mary Kay Foundation survey of 700 domestic violence shelters revealed that 74 percent of survivors claimed they stayed with their abuser longer because of financial issues.

Domestic and sexual violence impacts a victim’s ability to keep a job, and abusers often use economic abuse to control their victims. Providing financial support for survivors, who may need to take time to safely leave a violent relationship, or heal, is important.

The Legislature has the opportunity to make paid family and medical leave a reality. Research by the Montana Budget and Policy Center shows that with contributions representing less than half of one percent of wages, we could create an insurance pool so workers would receive part of their wages while on leave.

The Montana Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence is a proud supporter of paid family and medical leave. Beyond helping victims of domestic violence, passing paid family and medical leave is the right thing to do.

Kelsen Young – Executive Director – Montana Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence

When my son was born, I didn’t want to leave him. Unfortunately, my job didn’t offer paid parental leave, and our maternity leave was unpaid and very ambiguous. The policy was essentially ‘take the time you need, but come back as soon as possible.’ Since I just started working at my job when I found out I was pregnant, I didn’t have enough saved leave to take much time off after giving birth. After he was born, I tried to work from home and put some hours in at the office. I needed to work when I was so emotionally and physically tired that I couldn’t see straight. My work performance wasn’t what it should be, but I had to make money. It would have been amazing to have the security of two or three months paid leave.

Too many parents have gone through the same situation as me. We want to be home, especially right after our children are born. We needed more time to recover from childbirth, but our families simply can’t afford it. Parents shouldn’t have to choose between feeding their kids and taking care of them. My workplace has created our own paid parental leave policy for future parents, so we can take care of our valued employees. It would be great if the Legislature would take the same steps with us, to ensure Montana’s families can support themselves while taking care of a new baby.

Kelly Heaton – Letter to the Editor

For most of my life, I’ve worked at jobs that didn’t offer any paid leave. Since I worked remotely, hours after the births of both of my daughters I did something I should not have had to do – I opened my laptop and got to work. During the first few sleepless months, I chugged espresso and got to work.

One would think women would have the right to some rest after the physical toll that having children takes on your body and the sleepless nights an infant brings after that. Children should have the right to a rested, devoted mother, at least for a little while.

Now I have a job that does offer me paid leave. It is such a relief not having to worry about losing my income or my job if anything serious should happen to my daughters, my husband, or myself. It is amazing how relaxed and happy I am at home after working at a place where I get full benefits including paid time off to care for my family. Paid leave helps me be a better mom, wife, employee, and member of my community.

Unfortunately, there are too many people in our state who don’t have access to the time off they need to take care of their families or themselves. I’m excited about what is happening around the country with paid family and sick leave. I hope during this legislative session, our elected officials pass a paid leave policy in Montana.

Natalie Peeterse – Letter to the Editor