Family leave mattered for my family

In response to Andrew Markowski’s op-ed on Friday, March 8 (“Family leave would be tough on small business”), I offer a more up-to-date version of the story of Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) which both incorporates the multitude of proponents with a lot of evidence and momentum on their side and has addressed the concerns of a few small businesses.

There is overwhelming support for paid leave in Connecticut and across the country. In 2016 an AARP poll found 83 percent of Connecticut voters supported it and a Small Business Majority poll found 59 percent of their community in favor. As Andrew pointed out, opponents don’t dispute the benefits for workers and families but warn of the risks to their businesses.

Connecticut is in a great position to leverage the findings from our neighbors: Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York, among others, which have already implemented statewide publicly administered paid leave programs such as Gov. Ned Lamont’s bill SB 881. There were similar predictions of economic hardship for small businesses leading up to the passage of these bills which have not materialized. In 2015, a year into the Rhode Island program, a survey found that a majority of the small and medium sized companies were supportive of the law. Key findings from California after five years were that most employers had either a “positive effect” or “no noticeable effect” on productivity (89 percent), profitability/ performance (91 percent), turnover (96 percent), and employee morale (99 percent). A further 60 percent of employers surveyed reported cost savings, according to a report by Appelbaum & Milkman 2011.

With the positive experiences from early adopters, the conversation has shifted away from potential unintended harms to small businesses to the impactful costs of doing nothing, and importantly, the intended consequences of such programs. A small, but significant sample includes: financial security, reduced infant and maternal mortality, increasing involvement of dads in child rearing, improving gender pay equity, less reliance on public assistance, lower child poverty rates, and overall well-being for new parents and care-givers.

I am an advocate of PFML because I am one of the lucky few to have had 12 weeks of paid leave with both my young children as part of a generous corporate benefit. I can confidently speak to how much it mattered for me, my family and how it much not having it negatively affects most everyone I know. I have followed the national debate closely and I read much of the public testimony relating to Gov. Lamont’s bill along with the many versions over the past decade presented to the Connecticut legislature. There are extensive facts and studies that confirm the economic and health benefits of paid leave and vast support from organizations across the state which represent a variety of interests, including: women, children, education, the elderly, and small businesses. In addition, there are countless personal stories about experiences of living without paid leave.

Connecticut wants to be competitive for business to attract and retain workers. The current bills which are entirely funded through small employee deductions with no direct costs to employers have teed up an incredible opportunity for our state to lead with one of the most progressive and inclusive paid leave policies to do that this year.

Find out how you can help us get Paid Family and Medical Leave for Connecticut.