SWISSVALE, Pa. — Parents, nurses, union members and community advocates gathered in Swissvale Saturday to build support for Allegheny County’s revised paid parental leave proposal.
About 40 people gathered at Pittsburgh Mennonite Church before canvassing in the district represented by County Council President Michelle Naccarati-Chapkis.
They encouraged neighbors to contact her and support the proposal.
For Bloomfield’s Aden Helpern, the issue is deeply personal.
“If I want to be a father here in Allegheny County, I don’t see the support that I really need to do that,” Helpern said. “When I have a baby, I want to be able to spend those first three months with them.”
The Allegheny County Board of Health amended its proposal this week after several public hearings.
The revised plan would provide up to 12 weeks of paid leave within a child’s first year after birth or adoption, down from the original 18 weeks.
It would apply to employers with at least 15 eligible full- or part-time workers.
To qualify, workers would need to be employed for at least six months and work 625 hours.
The amendment also includes eligibility for people who experience stillbirths.
Helpern said he views paid parental leave as an urgent public health issue.
“People are going to work a week after they have a baby here, and that is just unacceptable,” he said.
The Allegheny Conference of Community Development opposes the proposal.
In a statement, the group wrote:
“Even with reported amendments adjusting the duration to 12 weeks and considering small-business thresholds, the core structure of the policy remains problematic. Mandating a 100% employer-paid requirement—rather than utilizing a state-level, insurance-based funding model common in other jurisdictions—places an uncompetitive financial and administrative burden directly on local employers.
“As Allegheny County competes regionally and nationally for investment and workforce growth, establishing a localized benefit mandate risks putting our region at a distinct economic disadvantage. We urge county leadership to pursue data-driven, employer-informed policy solutions that foster both family well-being and regional competitiveness.”
The Board of Health is scheduled to vote on the amended proposal Sept. 28.
If it passes, it would then go before Allegheny County Council.
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