Allegheny County’s Board of Health held a meeting on Tuesday to discuss a proposed parental leave policy that would require employers to provide 18 weeks of paid leave for new parents, with eligibility beginning after 30 days of employment. The policy would mandate that all employers in the county pay 100% of an employee’s base pay during the leave period, applying to all new parents, including those who adopt or gain legal custody. Len Semplice, owner of Redbeard’s Sports Bar & Grill, shared his concerns about how the eligibility requirements might affect businesses in the service industry, which often experience high employee turnover. “We have a 90-day probation period for any new hire, and after that 90 days, if it didn’t work out, we can let them go, or they can leave, or vice versa. So that’s really going to be hard when you have that. It’s going to be hard to figure it out,” Semplice said. Semplice emphasized that he supports paid parental leave but noted the challenges of implementing such a policy in an industry where many employees work part-time and rely on tips for most of their income. “I’m not saying I’m against, you know, a full-time employee that’s been here and goes on maternity leave, I personally would pay it anyway. That’s the type of person I am, if it was a law, if it weren’t a law. But I mean, it’s going to be hard for the service industry with all part-time employees who work on tips for most of their income,” he said. Abigail Gardner, Allegheny County’s director of communications, acknowledged the concerns raised by small business owners and emphasized the importance of public feedback in shaping the policy. “When is someone eligible for this is definitely an area where we want to hear thoughts from people. There are lots of different kinds of jobs out there. People might not be on job sites for very long. They might be kind of temporary employees. And so actually hearing that feedback from small businesses is really useful to say, you know, this is how that might look if I had to implement it, but this is how it might not work with the kind of business we have,” Gardner said. Gardner added that the proposal is intended to spark conversation and gather input from the community. “I think we are really sincere when we say we wanted people’s feedback. We proposed this policy, this article adjustment, as a starting point to get the conversation going and to hear from people about paid parental leave. You know, almost every other country in the world has paid parental leave except the United States. Fourteen other states have mandated it,” she said. More than 400 people have already shared their opinions on the policy through the county’s website, and with over 80 people signed up to speak at Tuesday’s meeting, the Board of Health is expected to hear a wide range of perspectives.Looking for more news in your area | Subscribe to the WTAE YouTube Channel
ALLEGHENY COUNTY, Pa. —
Allegheny County’s Board of Health held a meeting on Tuesday to discuss a proposed parental leave policy that would require employers to provide 18 weeks of paid leave for new parents, with eligibility beginning after 30 days of employment.
The policy would mandate that all employers in the county pay 100% of an employee’s base pay during the leave period, applying to all new parents, including those who adopt or gain legal custody.
Len Semplice, owner of Redbeard’s Sports Bar & Grill, shared his concerns about how the eligibility requirements might affect businesses in the service industry, which often experience high employee turnover.
“We have a 90-day probation period for any new hire, and after that 90 days, if it didn’t work out, we can let them go, or they can leave, or vice versa. So that’s really going to be hard when you have that. It’s going to be hard to figure it out,” Semplice said.
Semplice emphasized that he supports paid parental leave but noted the challenges of implementing such a policy in an industry where many employees work part-time and rely on tips for most of their income.
“I’m not saying I’m against, you know, a full-time employee that’s been here and goes on maternity leave, I personally would pay it anyway. That’s the type of person I am, if it was a law, if it weren’t a law. But I mean, it’s going to be hard for the service industry with all part-time employees who work on tips for most of their income,” he said.
Abigail Gardner, Allegheny County’s director of communications, acknowledged the concerns raised by small business owners and emphasized the importance of public feedback in shaping the policy.
“When is someone eligible for this is definitely an area where we want to hear thoughts from people. There are lots of different kinds of jobs out there. People might not be on job sites for very long. They might be kind of temporary employees. And so actually hearing that feedback from small businesses is really useful to say, you know, this is how that might look if I had to implement it, but this is how it might not work with the kind of business we have,” Gardner said.
Gardner added that the proposal is intended to spark conversation and gather input from the community.
“I think we are really sincere when we say we wanted people’s feedback. We proposed this policy, this article adjustment, as a starting point to get the conversation going and to hear from people about paid parental leave. You know, almost every other country in the world has paid parental leave except the United States. Fourteen other states have mandated it,” she said.
More than 400 people have already shared their opinions on the policy through the county’s website, and with over 80 people signed up to speak at Tuesday’s meeting, the Board of Health is expected to hear a wide range of perspectives.
Looking for more news in your area | Subscribe to the WTAE YouTube Channel