Lawmakers and community groups came together in Detroit Friday to advocate for paid family and medical leave.
Speakers at the event said both state and federal laws are needed.
The federal Family Medical Leave Act makes big employers provide up to 12 weeks off for a new child or serious health condition. But that’s unpaid leave.
U.S. Representative Debbie Dingell (D-MI 6) cited estimates from paid leave supporters that around 76% of Michiganders do not have access to those benefits.
“That means three out of every four people have to choose between putting food on the table or caring for themselves or their loved ones,” Dingell said.
In the U.S. House of Representatives, a federal bill to guarantee paid family leave has been introduced every session since at least 2004. But it has never become law. That’s led to a patchwork of states enacting their own policies.
Fourteen states and Washington D.C. have already enacted their own requirements, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center. Minnesota is the only one in the Midwest.
Dawn Huckelbridge directs the Paid Leave for All campaign. She said the policy has raised quality of life in states that have already adopted it.
“It’s time and money, you know, time with your loved ones, you can’t even put a price tag on that. It’s helping people’s mental health. It’s helping wellbeing. It’s bringing more career opportunities. So, it’s really important,” Huckelbridge said.
The business community, however, has traditionally opposed the policy.
Amanda Fisher leads the Michigan chapter of the National Federation of Independent Business. She said, in Minnesota for example, the government underestimated how much providing family leave as a social benefits program would cost.
“It has been a huge issue, and I just think that’s one more thing Michigan’s small businesses do not need at this point,” Fisher said.
Michigan state Senator Erika Geiss (D-Taylor) recently introduced her own bill to create a paid family medical leave program. Geiss, who lost a daughter to cancer earlier this year, said people need more help during emergencies or big life changes that could one day affect us all.
“We’re going to get sick, we’re going to know someone who gets sick. We’re going to have a loved one pass away and need time to be able to manage the issues around bereavement,” Geiss said.
The bill would phase in up to 12 weeks of annual paid family leave over a three-year period. That leave could be used for extended illness, caring for a family member, or recovering from sexual or intimate partner violence, among other things.
Fisher said she believed the policy was coming from a good place. But she didn’t believe small businesses could handle requirements like holding someone’s job.
“You add more taxes or more regulation, it’s just that much more. But I really think, with this paid family leave, the idea of having to leave that position open for that amount of time is truly a hardship,” Fisher said.
Geiss introduced a similar bill package last term as well. Despite making it out of committee in her Democratic-controlled chamber, it never saw a floor vote.
This session, her bill faces tougher headwinds as Republicans control the Michigan House of Representatives and time is winding down on the year -- and the legislative session. If Democrats win another trifecta of the state House, Senate, and governor’s office, Geiss said doesn’t want lawmakers to wait.
“The lesson to be learned is to not be afraid of your shadows,” Geiss said. “This affects everybody and that’s who a legislator is supposed to be delivering for, so I hope that’s the lesson they learn, to not take their foot off the gas when they have the opportunity.”
Geiss said she believes her colleagues were scared of backlash from the business community and possible costs of the proposal. She pointed to research that suggests the state could make it work.
Friday’s press conference took place at the offices of Mothering Justice in Detroit. The group helped lead a ballot campaign to expand Michigan’s sick leave law.
When asked if another ballot measure was possible to enact paid sick time, Mothering Justice Executive Director Danielle Atkinson said all options were on the table. But they’re looking for the Legislature to act first.
