If you’ve read our blog over the summer, it is clear that paid leave is an issue MBPC cares about. Paid leave policies provide workers with the time necessary to deal with serious personal or family illness, or in some cases, the welcomed addition of a new baby. We wrote about it here, and here, and here, and here.
Yesterday, US Labor Secretary Tom Perez wrote about this important issue. He said what we all know - the United States is behind the curve on paid leave. But did you know that we are the only industrialized nation without a national paid leave law of any kind? Here are the examples he gave from other countries.
We know that paid leave allows women and men to stay connected to the workforce when there is a new baby, a sick child or parent or an injured individual. This is an issue critical not only to families, but also to businesses and the economy. It is so important that California, Rhode Island and New Jersey didn’t wait for Congress to act. They are leading the nation and by passing paid family and medical leave laws.
This could be Montana’s moment to shine. Governor Bullock knows how important paid leave policies are to working families. Last year, he created the Equal Pay Task Force. These local experts continue to examine policies meant to reduce the gap in wages between Montana’s men and women. Perhaps not surprisingly, the Taskforce suggested Montana should consider paid leave.
Later this week, the US Department of Labor will announce the winners of $500,000 grant for states to explore the feasibility and evaluate the effectiveness of paid leave policies. Fingers crossed that Montana is on the list!
MBPC is a nonprofit organization focused on providing credible and timely research and analysis on budget, tax, and economic issues that impact low- and moderate-income Montana families.