May 12 was a special Mother’s Day for me, having just given birth to my first child — Ruby — only nine weeks earlier. The first two months of motherhood have been an incredible adventure with highs and lows.
The challenges of motherhood have dimmed in comparison to the joy of helping Ruby navigate this brand new world; they have also been softened by the outpouring of kindness from others. Friends stopping by with home-cooked meals, family sending gift cards for last minute expenses, and kind neighbors taking a babysitting shift while I head to doctor appointments. Without our community of support, parenting would have been next to impossible these first few months of Ruby’s life.
From family and neighbor support to good policies that provide a safety net during the critical time period of pregnancy and early parenthood, Montanans understand that it “takes a village” to raise a child. However, without good policies in place, privilege and chance determine access to things like health insurance, reliable housing, paid family leave, affordable child care, and the ability to receive safe medical services for all pregnancy outcomes, including miscarriage management, delivery or abortion.
Being able to spend these first two months with Ruby because of paid family leave offered through Forward Montana, the organization I work for, has allowed Ruby and me time to recover and bond.
While I’m grateful for this time, I know that most parents don’t have this option. In fact only 13% of Americans have paid family leave. Furthermore, the Family Medical Leave Act, which requires large employers to offer unpaid leave, only applies to 1 out of 3 Montanans. How many young Montanans can take unpaid time off work, while also paying down on debt and providing for a new child?
Is it any wonder, that despite a “growing economy” last year, the United States saw the lowest number of births in over three decades, according to a recent CDC report?
Every other industrialized nation offers paid family leave, and some states have been providing paid leave for over a decade. Paid leave programs support parents when they have a new child, and workers when they’re seriously ill or caring for a family member with a serious illness. Check out the “Time for Montana” campaign (timeformontana.org) to learn more about paid family leave and sick days in Montana.
Paid leave is only a starting point for re-imagining a system that supports families and addresses inequalities. The United States is the only industrialized nation in which maternal mortality rates continue to climb with Native American mothers dying at a rate 2.5 times greater than white mothers, and black mothers dying at a rate that’s 3.3 times greater than white mothers. A new study from the CDC indicates that 60% of these deaths are preventable.
From providing comprehensive health care and paid family leave to addressing racial bias in our health care system, it’s time we demand more for Montana’s moms and families. When Ruby and her generation are old enough to become parents, it will ultimately be the failure of our generation’s imagination and determination if their healthy start as parents is limited by their zip code, race, employer, or health insurance status.
Rachel Huff-Doria is executive director of Forward Montana, a statewide organization that builds political power with and for young Montanans by driving a culture of civic engagement. She lives with her family in Missoula and is currently on family leave.
Financed by a new state-run insurance fund, Montana would offer up to 12 weeks of paid leave to workers who need to care for a child or ailing family member, under a bill heard Monday at the Legislature.
Rep. Moffie Funk, D-Helena, said the plan will make Montana one of the leaders nationwide on the issue of paid leave, which is widely offered in most other industrialized countries, but not here.
“Families should not have to choose between taking care of each other or taking a financial dive,” she said. “The question is, do we work together to find a solution or do we just keep wringing our hands?”
Yet the state’s main business lobby, the Montana Chamber of Commerce, came out against Funk’s House Bill 208, saying it won’t work and will end up costing businesses money they can’t afford.
“If this program were to be implemented, it’s our position that the program costs would very quickly shift almost entirely to employers,” said Cary Hegreberg of the Chamber. “Our small employers are not capable of taking on this kind of burden, despite how much it might benefit employees.”
Cary Hegreberg, Montana Chamber of Commerce
The House Business and Labor Committee heard HB208 Monday, but took no immediate action.
HB208 would create a fund financed by most employers and workers across the state, with a fee set by the state Labor Department. The fee could not be larger than 1% of any eligible employee’s monthly wages. Self-employed workers could opt into the fund.
The fund would grow to nearly $90 million by 2021, according to a fiscal analysis of the bill.
Workers could get up to 12 weeks of paid leave, financed by the fund, if they have a “serious health condition” or are caring for a new child in the family or a family member with a serious health condition. They must apply to the state Labor Department.
Hegreberg said there’s no way for the department to verify if someone has a sick relative, and that employers could constantly face the prospect of losing vital employees for months at a time – and be required to provide the same job when the worker returned from leave.
“It literally invites employees to find a sick relative somewhere to go and take care of them,” he said.
Funk said the business lobby could help fix whatever problems it sees in the bill, rather than “just standing opposed with hyperbolic cynicism.”
Numerous people and organizations favored the bill, including the Bullock administration and several persons who had to leave work to take care of loved ones in need.
Emilie Ritter Saunders, MT Dept of Commerce
Emilie Ritter Saunders of the Department of Commerce said Montanans had nearly $80 million in lost wages in 2017 because of unpaid parental leave, and that access to family leave would make Montana an attractive place for workers in a tight labor market.
Nina Heinzinger, a state employee in Helena, told the committee that she had both benefited from family leave and suffered from its lack.
She said she had to drive constantly to Missoula from Helena over several weeks, without paid leave, to help take care of her son after he had a traumatic brain injury in an accident – while maintaining a part-time job.
But this year, while working for the state, she had paid leave that allowed her to take care of her elderly mother, who died on Sunday.
“This type of leave made it possible for me to be with her while she suffered health problems and was placed in Hospice,” Heinzinger said, her voice breaking with emotion. “I was able to spend time with her as she lay dying. … Paid leave allowed me to focus on my family. I didn’t have to choose between money and my mom.”
(UM Legislative News Service) Montana workers, including those who are self-employed, could receive paid medical or family leave through a statewide fund if a new bill introduced to the Legislature becomes law.
Rep. Moffie Funk, D-Helena, is sponsoring House Bill 208, which would couple an initial state investment with matched employer and employee contributions to create the fund. Funk said workers, especially women, are deterred from working if they know they’ll lose their job to care for a family member. She said offering leave for anyone to care for family members is a way to incentivize workers to stay in the state.
“Montana is facing a worker shortage and we need to do whatever we can to keep our people in this state,” Funk said. “And, with wages being what they are, being able to offer this benefit is a great step in the right direction.”
The insurance fund would pay for up to 12 weeks of paid leave for personal injury or family care leave, and wouldn’t be accessible until it was sustainable. The bill would also give employees on leave job security, and fine employers who fire employees for taking leave.
Ronda Wiggers with the Helena Chamber of Commerce was one of three opponents to the bill during its public hearing Monday. She said small business are rarely able to find someone to cover for employees on leave. She also said the guidelines on who can access the fund and for what reason, like being able to take time off to care for people who are the “equivalent of an acknowledged family relationship,” aren’t strict enough to sustain the fund.
“We believe that it’s broad enough that you’re going to run out of money. This amount of money would not fund this program,” Wiggers said. “And, we’ll be back here in two years wanting to know what to do about the people who paid into it. But, then, when they went to get benefits, the benefits weren’t there for them because they were allocated out to other people.”
Heather O’Loughlin with the Montana Budget and Policy Center was one of 13 supporters of the bill. She said the bill was modeled after other states’ policy, some of which have offered paid leave for over a decade.
“We have a lot of data on the participation rate,” O’Loughlin said. “It’s not a significant percentage of the workforce that’s taking this leave year over year.”
HB 208 would cost about $2.6 million per year in state funding to set up the fund and insure state employees.
The House Business and Labor Committee did not immediately vote on the bill Monday.
Tim Pierce 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.
A state lawmaker is seeking to establish an insurance program for eligible Montanans taking family and medical leave from their jobs.
House Bill 208, carried by Rep. Moffie Funk, D-Helena, would provide for up to 12 weeks of leave benefits annually for workers with eligible health or family situations, such as the birth or adoption of a child or the illness of an elderly parent or family member.
The leaves would be paid from a state fund financed primarily with money from employers, employees and people who are self-employed.
The Montana Policy and Budget Center joined with the federal and state labor departments in 2014 to research the benefits of paid leave and the specifics of a policy for Montana. Heather O’Loughlin, the center’s co-director of research and development, told the House Business and Labor Committee on Monday that workers with access to paid leave are more likely to stay not only in the workforce but with their current employer.
Acting co-chair Emilie Ritter Saunders of the governor’s Equal Pay for Equal Work Task Force told the committee Montanans potentially lost $80 million in 2017 from taking unpaid parental leave.
Montana Women Vote, AARP Montana and the state Federation of Public Employees were among organizations that voiced their approval Monday.
“At some point, all of us are going to find ourselves in a situation in which we need leave,” said Executive Director Kelly Rosenleaf of Child Care Resources in Missoula, who told the committee about her experience taking paid leave to care for her mother after a fall. “For (a) medical reason, for ourselves or for somebody we love in our family.”
Rep. Laurie Bishop, D-Livingston, spoke of the bill’s benefits to Montana’s working women in a Monday press conference surrounded by House Democrats.
“Paid leave insurance would give working women a path to return to their jobs. It would empower women to increase their personal lifetime earnings and would also provide a significant boost to our state’s economy,” said Bishop, who talked about the difficulty of foregoing income as she took care of her father-in-law in his final years.
Opposition in Monday’s hearing came from the Montana and Helena Area chambers of commerce, who said the bill’s costs would overwhelm Montana employers over time.
“Despite the well intentions of this bill and despite the compelling testimony that you all heard, the chamber believes that this bill is hugely problematic,” said Cary Hegreberg, president and CEO of the Montana Chamber of Commerce.
Hegreberg called “a huge problem” the portion of the bill that states the Montana Department of Labor and Industry “may by rule determine whether a covered individual is subject to documenting” their reason for claiming leave benefits.
“In other words, there’s not much enforcement in this bill for employees who would decide to take advantage of the provisions of this program,” Hegreberg said. “So how in the world would the Department of Labor determine if my grandson in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, needed my care for a period of many weeks?”
Funk said she found some of the reasoning behind opposition to the bill “cynical and insulting.”
“They have no solutions,” Funk said. She also asked that those in opposition to the bill help with finding a permanent solution.
In last week’s State of the Union address, President Donald Trump remarked that he was “proud to be the first president to include in my budget a plan for nationwide paid family leave.”
Trump’s 2018 budget proposal called for six weeks’ paid leave after a child’s birth or adoption.
Twenty-five years ago, the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) was passed with the lofty goal of helping American families balance the demands of the workplace with family needs. It was underpinned by the belief that preserving the integrity, stability and economic security of families was in the nation’s best interest. But the economic reality and societal structure of the American family has changed since then. In today’s world, the law is no longer adequate.
While the FMLA’s primary aim remains to help families retain their jobs, it fails to ensure their financial security as it grants unpaid leave to a limited number of workers. To support families, businesses and the economy, some form of paid family leave for all is essential either at the federal, state or local levels.
The Case for Paid Leave
Only 12 percent of private sector employees and about 40 percent of the entire U.S. workforce have access to leave under FMLA. As of 2016, FMLA has been used over 100 million times with the average leave duration around 10 days – most commonly for an employee’s own health event.
Under the current law, FMLA allows for unpaid leave for qualified workers for qualified reasons. Once an employee uses up their regular paid vacation leave, sick leave or other paid time off hours, they are left with the option of unpaid leave or going back to work. This option disproportionately affects low-income workers. Forty-six percent of those who needed to take time off did not because they could not afford to go unpaid and many workers in the lowest wage quartiles are unlikely to have access to such benefits.
Data on Montana’s workers and their income is seen in Table 1 and shows that Montana’s numbers are similar to U.S. numbers. One key difference is that Montana’s median and per capita income is lower than the nation’s.
Table 1. Montana workers compared to U.S. workers. Source: U.S. Census Bureau or Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Many Montana measures highlight the tenuous financial security of families; particularly the number of low wage jobs in the state (28 percent) resulting in a high number of working poor (21 percent), the number of households without short-term savings to subsist at the poverty rate for three months (42 percent); and the high number of people without employer-based health insurance (43 percent).
When working Montanans have to take unpaid time off to care for a sick child, to deal with their own health event or to care for an elderly parent, it creates a financial hardship in a time of need. Once all other sources of paid leave are used up and a worker has to take unpaid time off, there is an increased likelihood of family financial instability, especially for low income workers. A loss of one or two months of income could unglue a family’s financial stability. Add a health event with its associated costs and a family could descend quickly into true poverty.
Forty-six percent of those who needed to take time off did not because they could not afford to go unpaid.
In low-paying Montana service industries, a two-income household earns a combined annual income of $29,922. The likelihood of such a family having paid time off or health insurance is low. If the primary earner suffered a health event requiring time off without pay, the family would be unable to cover basic expenses. Additionally, if the employer was not required to provide leave under FMLA, the employee would have no assurance of retaining their job.
Single working parents are even more vulnerable if they need to take unpaid time off work as their family relies on only one paycheck. Nationally, nearly 20 percent of single mothers work in low wage jobs, defined as jobs paying $10.10 per hour or less. In Montana, 22 percent of single mothers with children ages 3 or younger work in low wage jobs. Thus, taking unpaid leave is rarely an option for these parents, even if they are covered by FMLA.
In addition to families with children, working adults who take on a caregiving role also need paid family leave. Because of demographic shifts, American workers increasingly need to look after aging parents or other relatives. A Gallup Poll in 2010 showed that 1 in 6 Americans working full- or
part-time reported caring for an elderly or disabled family member, relative or friend.
Seventy percent of working caregivers suffered work-related difficulties due to their dual roles, 39 percent left their job to have more time to care for a loved one and 34 percent left because their work did not provide flexible hours. Additionally, 69 percent of workers caring for a family member reported having to rearrange their work schedule, decrease their hours or take unpaid leave in order to meet their caregiving responsibilities.
The Impact on Businesses
Montana’s economy is built on small businesses. Over 90 percent of Montana businesses have fewer than 20 employees, representing 40 percent of employment in the state. Over 20 percent of employees work for firms with 20-49 employees, 25 percent work for firms with 50–249 employees and only 10 percent work for firms with more than 250 employees. Thus, only a small number of Montana companies are required to provide leave under FMLA. However, the impetus to provide paid family leave is growing as research shows that the cost for companies, both large and small, is not as great as feared and the benefits are positive.
In 2015, 23 states introduced legislation on some type of paid family leave. The cost of such legislation is of concern to businesses, especially small business owners. To help understand how paid family leave might impact Montana’s employers, it is useful to look at how paid leave has impacted firms in other states.
Four states – California, New York, New Jersey and Rhode Island – have enacted legislation requiring paid leave for workers. All of these states rely on employee payroll tax contributions or a combination of employee and employer contributions by having paid leave built into their Temporary Disability Insurance programs.
A survey of California employers conducted six years after their law was enacted is summarized in Table 2. It’s interesting to note that firms with fewer than 50 employees showed more positive results than the larger ones. Ninety-one percent of employers in the state were unaware of employees abusing their paid leave policy, a fear that is often mentioned as a reason to not offer the benefit. Additionally, more than 86 percent of employers reported no increased costs to their business from implementing paid leave.
Table 2. California employers’ assessment of paid family leave, by number of employees, 2010. Source: Center for Economic and Policy Research, 2011.
A survey of New Jersey businesses showed that 67 percent experienced no effect on profitability, performance or employee productivity regardless of the number of employees.
These findings potentially allay the fears of Montana’s business community who are ambivalent about the benefits of paid parental leave. The 2015 Montana Paid Family Leave Study asked for an employer’s perspective on paid leave. The results (Table 3) indicate employers have few opinions, perhaps based on a lack of knowledge rather than an outright antipathy.
Table 3. Montana businesses’ perspective on paid parental leave. Source: Montana Department of Labor and Industry.
If legislation is well-crafted, supporting families and growing business is not mutually exclusive. Montana could benefit from some of the lessons learned on state family paid leave laws:
Lawmakers in states without a Temporary Disability Insurance program, such as Montana, must consider alternative financing structures.
Eligibility criteria should cover as many workers as possible and address all family needs; families must be broadly defined to include all differences.
Paid leave must provide sufficient benefits to ensure an employee’s financial security.
Laws should use existing human capital and infrastructure where possible.
Outreach and education must be included in the legislation to ensure a workers’ awareness and understanding of the policies and programs.
Policies and protocols must ensure data collection on utilization.
The Future of Paid Family Leave
All other industrialized countries in the world have paid family leave in place. Out of the 193 countries in the United Nations, only New Guinea, Suriname, a few South Pacific island nations and the United States do not have a national paid parental leave law. Until the federal FMLA includes a paid provision, it will be up to the states to take the lead.
Montana is ripe for paid family leave legislation. Positive research conducted in other states shows the benefits to small businesses and 73 percent of Montanans support some form of paid family leave. Designing a good paid family leave policy can create a win-win for Montana’s employees and employers. As shown above, it’s good for Montana’s businesses, workers, families and the economy.
Twenty-five years ago this week, President Clinton signed the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) into law. Since that time, this Act has helped tens of thousands of families by protecting their jobs when they need an extended absence due to medical or family circumstances. New parents and ailing parents, children, husbands, wives, and service members have all benefited from the FMLA which has allowed countless people the time to bond with infants or care for family members without fear of losing their jobs or health benefits.
There is truly much to celebrate as we mark the 25th anniversary of the FMLA. But it should go without saying that we can do even better. Although the FMLA has provided vital protections to over half the American workforce, there are still far too many left out, including our fellow Montanans.
Right now, the FMLA only applies to employees who work where there are at least 50 other employees within 75 miles. In Montana, we celebrate our small business owners, so let’s give those with 20 workers or more the opportunity to offer these benefits to their workforce.
And let’s reduce the number of hours of work required for eligibility. Many excellent employees only work part-time, but they have done so for years and their loyalty and contributions to our economy should guarantee them the same protections as full-time employees.
Furthermore, while many employees do receive some pay while taking FMLA, many do not. Workplaces with collective bargaining opportunities often allow for longer leaves or the ability to use other forms of paid leave, but too many Montana workers do not have collective bargaining rights. It is our working families that most frequently do not receive any paid leave, and they are the ones who can least afford to go without a paycheck. Despite the excellent intentions of the FMLA, it often imposes severe financial burdens on families, especially women, and is not used.
The truth is that women are the ones most often in need of leave, but they are also the ones who most often do not take it. Women are typically the ones who stay home with an infant, aging parents, or children who are ill. But women are too frequently the least likely to be able to access the provisions of the FMLA, either because of workplace conditions or financial concerns. Let’s show that we acknowledge and value the contributions Montana women make both inside and outside the home.
Ultimately, this is an issue that affects all working Montanans. We need to ensure that every eligible Montana worker and their employers are educated about the provisions and guarantees under the Family and Medical Leave Act. And we need to ensure that more of our small business owners and workers have the opportunity to benefit from family leave. A paid leave insurance program would help small business employers provide leave without an undue financial burden and it would allow employees to access the benefits that every working family has earned.
As Montanans, we know that all of us get ahead when our workers are able to care for and support their families without fear of losing their job or benefits.
We have a lot to celebrate as we mark the 25th anniversary of the Family and Medical Leave Act. Now, let’s move forward together to protect even more of our friends, neighbors, and families and strengthen the benefits working Montanans deserve.
Rep. Moffie Funk, D-Helena, represents House District 82 in the Montana Legislature.
It’s difficult when a parent becomes so sick that he/she can’t be left alone. I moved my father to Helena in 2003 and became his daily advocate while working full time. I did that for seven years.
After retirement, I was fortunate enough to have another five years with Dad before he died.
I was blessed to have sick and annual leave to take Dad to nearly every appointment. I was getting older myself and my leave had to stretch a very long way. It was a tough road being daughter/advocate/caregiver and the employee that I wanted to be. A simple medical appointment could take hours because of Dad’s illnesses and needs.
Parents spend much of their respective lives and resources caring for and raising children. It seems unfair that children often can’t return the favor when parents need us.
Montana is “graying” as a state. And, Americans are living longer. More of us are or will be taking care of older family members.
Our state needs paid family and medical leave to care for our loved ones and ourselves. I pray that the 65th Montana Legislature will support families by passing HB 392.
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.
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.
Rep. Jenny Eck, D-Helena
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.
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