What they’re saying: Paid Family and Medical Leave

AUGUSTA –  On Thursday, Sen. Mattie Daughtry, D-Brunswick, and Rep. Kristen Cloutier, D-Lewiston, introduced a bipartisan bill that would create a statewide paid family and medical leave program for Maine. LD 1964, “An Act to Implement the Recommendations of the Commission to Develop a Paid Family and Medical Leave Benefits Program,” which has over 100 cosponsors, was the subject of a public hearing before the Legislature’s Labor and Housing Committee. 

Mainers from across the state submitted testimony or showed up to share their stories in-person. Here’s what they’re saying: 

Speaker of the House Rachel Talbot Ross:

“There are moments in our life — in all of our lives — when we need and we deserve the time necessary to care for ourselves and for those closest to us. And all people deserve that time without the additional, crushing stress of the impact of what missing one paycheck could mean during that time. 

“‘An Act to Implement the Recommendations of the Commission to Develop a Paid Family and Medical Leave Benefits Program’ is the solution and a program that is long overdue. As you’ll hear from many people today, the United States is the only industrialized, modernized country that does not already have a paid family medical leave program in place. 

“When we ask ourselves ‘why’ this is the case, the answer is rooted in the history of inequity in this country and the undervalued labor and work of women, and specifically women of color.”

Small Business Majority:

“The Paid Family and Medical Leave Benefits Program you are discussing today is one of the most small-business friendly paid leave programs in the nation, and we are encouraged by your ongoing support of making this proposal a reality. Enacting this sensible paid family leave program will make it easier for small businesses to afford and implement this benefit into their overall compensation offers and help level the playing field by allowing them to compete on more equal footing with larger businesses that typically have the resources to offer robust benefits.”

Maine Council on Aging:

“Caring for a loved one can be challenging, particularly when you’re working full-time. A family caregiver may need to take time off from work to take a parent to a medical appointment or to stay at home when a homecare worker isn’t available that day. The same caregiver may have to take several weeks off if a loved one falls and has a serious injury that requires in-home rehab and care. From a public policy standpoint, we want family members to step up and provide this informal care, but we never want that to be at a cost to their job.”

Maine AFL-CIO:

“In addition to this most fundamental reason — that people should not have to choose between their economic livelihood and taking care of a newborn or a loved one — we support Paid Family Medical Leave for 3 additional reasons. First, we believe in social insurance models as a humane and rational way to meet basic human needs. We have fundamental human rights to things like healthcare, education and leave and we should create strong public systems to equitably provide those needs. Secondly, we know that these kinds of systems reduce inequality both in terms of who can access such leave and in terms of overall economic inequality. That is a good thing for all of us. Third, paid leave promotes gender equity in the workplace and society. Leave systems encourage men to take leave and to play a larger caretaking role. They also better facilitate the possibility to return to work after childbirth and help balance work histories between women and men, thus contributing to closing the gender wage gap.” 

Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence:

“For most survivors, having the ability to take a few days off over the course of separating and/or navigating their way through a path to safety is adequate, but for some — those whose abusers present particularly high levels of risk — a paid family leave of several weeks could be a lifesaving option, providing three essential things: time, money, and long-term economic stability. We could use this opportunity to help survivors in our state struggle less to stay safe. This is one area of need unique to domestic violence survivors, and it would make a difference in the lives of many survivors in our state if family leave could accommodate their typically short term but vital need for time off without compromising their economic and job security. This aligns directly with the purpose of creating paid family medical leave.”

AARP Maine:

“A Paid Family and Medical Leave Program in Maine will benefit workers, employers, and the economy by helping family caregivers remain at their jobs. According to AARP’s Valuing the Invaluable report,  ‘when caregivers are unable to continue balancing work and caregiving responsibilities, employers are faced with the loss of valuable, experienced workers and the cost of hiring new employees.’ A 2017 report from the Center for American Progress found that after California implemented its PFML program, there was an 8% short-term increase in labor force participation among caregivers and a 14% percent increase in the long run.”

Joseph Brown, a small business owner from Milo:

“I’m a resident of Milo. I am a small business owner – I own a small trucking business. I am also a husband and father of three kids all under the age of five. … I couldn’t take any time off when my first two children were born. In the case of my second child, I returned to work the very next day, which ended up putting physical and mental stress on my wife (she wasn’t supposed to lift anything heavier than a newborn for 6-8 weeks, but we had a one-year-old at home).

“At that time, I was employed at a small business where I was one of five employees and my boss couldn’t afford to offer paid leave. I couldn’t afford to take any time away from work — but even if unpaid leave were an option, there was no guarantee that my job would be waiting for me when I returned. I just couldn’t take that risk, especially with a family to support. … All employees, regardless of how small their employer is, should have meaningful access to this paid leave program.”

Emily Ingwersen, a small business owner from Arundel:

“I have seen carpenters work through broken bones and other injuries, parents return to work immediately following the birth of their children and adult children struggle to manage the care of their elderly loved ones. I have also been unable to provide this benefit to myself or my employees given the astronomical cost of private insurance options compared to the paltry benefits offered. This bill would help level the playing field between small businesses like mine and large companies who are capable of providing this benefit at scale, as well as between men and women in the workforce.”

Jessica L. Laliberte of Waterville:

“As someone who has represented the business industry before the legislature, I know the argument against paid family leave is that it will place a financial burden on employers and businesses. On the flip side, when one has had to give up their paycheck, they are not spending money in businesses. Discretionary spending stops. 

“This should not be a partisan issue. Eventually, we will all find ourselves in positions where we may have to choose between providing care to a loved one or our paycheck. It is a quality-of-life issue. Maine is the oldest state in the nation. We also face a workforce shortage. This is not a democrat or republican issue. If you have loved ones, you could find yourself in this situation.  Do we want to lose workers because they are faced with the choice of a paycheck or the care of a sick parent? Should we make people choose?”

LD 1964 is scheduled for a work session in committee on Thursday, June 1.