PITTSBURGH — Cheers erupted inside Allegheny County Council chambers Tuesday night after an 11-4 vote to approve up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave for thousands of eligible workers.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE >>> Allegheny County Council approves policy mandating paid parental leave
If the bill is signed on Thursday, which is expected to happen, thousands of small businesses will have to figure out how they’re going to pay for it.
“Local leadership has chosen to offload the entire financial and administrative burden onto a small, but vital segment of our community,” said Councilwoman Suzanne Filiaggi, who represents District 2. She voted against the bill.
Allegheny County will likely become the first in the nation to independently adopt a mandate for paid parental leave.
“This is going to protect working families in a way that we have not had in the past,” said Jordan Botta, who represents District 13. He voted in favor of the bill.
Full-time workers must be employed for six months, and part-time workers must work at least 625 hours. The policy applies to businesses with 15 or more employees and covers the birth or adoption of a child or a stillbirth.
Jen Mascaro is a mother of three and real estate agent who works in the eastern part of the county. She said while she understands the power behind this new policy, she believes it’s not sustainable for small businesses, who will need to take drastic measures to stay afloat.
“That’s going to be either raising the price of the products, charging more for insurances; I’m not sure where it’s going to come from, but it’s going to come from somewhere,” Mascaro said.
Elaine Trapani owns Medicap Pharmacy in Millvale. She said this won’t apply to her business, since she has fewer than 15 workers, but Trapani sees where this could create issues for those with a staff size just slightly larger than hers.
“If that person were an integral part of that business, it would be hard to replace them and pay them, and have somebody come in and pay them too,” Trapani said.
Allegheny County spokesperson Abigail Gardner told Channel 11 her communications team will work with the health department to create educational materials and resources so business owners understand what is required of them.
“What I hope to see is something like this at a state level, not a county level. It is going to absolutely push our small businesses out of Allegheny County,” Mascaro said.
County executive Sara Innamorato is expected to sign this bill Thursday afternoon. Business owners will then have one year to implement the policy.
Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW