The Multnomah Board of County Commissioners resolved on Oct. 8 to provide paid parental leave to all eligible county employees following the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.
The action makes Multnomah County the first government in Oregon to give parents time to bond with their new child, adjust to their new family situation, balance personal and professional obligations and to provide base salary continuation.
"All of you know I'm a mother, I wear it on my sleeve, on my heart. There is no more important time with a child,” said Chair Deborah Kafoury, who brought the rule forward.
The board approved a resolution to provide up to six weeks of paid parental leave beginning Nov. 1, 2015. All regular, probationary and limited duration employees who have worked at the county for up to 180 days prior are eligible. Employees who work less than 40 hours a week will receive a prorated amount.
The vote came in a boardroom packed with members of the employees resource group for families and several parents, including Commissioner Jules Bailey, who held his two-week old son, August, during the proceedings.
Benefits that improve recruitment, retention and health
Families need a time and space to adjust to a new normal following the birth of a child, adoption or foster care placement, Jason Heilburn, AFSCME vice president and a senior Business Systems analyst, told the board.
Increasingly, employees are seeking employers who support their families. The U.S. Labor Department reports the median cost of replacing an employee is roughly 21 percent of their annual salary and that human resource manager surveys show supportive policies are the single most important factor in attracting and keeping employees.
Veronica Lopez Eriksen, a community health nurse with the county’s Nurse Family Partnership, told the board that a year ago, the Health Department brought the board the maternal child health data book and reviewed the devastating and troubling data around maternal child health.
“You saw the numbers and heard the experts. You are leading the state.” Lopez Eriksen said.
The benefits of paid parental leave include breastfeeding initiation and maintenance, and bonding, that women will be able to remain in the workforce and fathers will be supported to create stronger family connections, she said.
“Welcoming a new family member should be a time of celebration,’’ Lopez Eriksen said. “Yet many parents especially single parents will feel this sting of increased stress when forced to make a choice between rent and bills or bonding and caregiving with their child during these few weeks. No one in this country should have to face this choice.”
As a home visiting nurse, she said she has seen moms forced to return to work within a few weeks. “Many families suffer through this time.”
Lopez Eriksen said that we know there is no one single policy that will address institutional racism, economic challenges that contribute to inequities. While the county continues to improve its workforce diversity, she cautioned that people of color have lower salaries and seniority so that although the benefit will be equally distributed among all, some employees will be able to pool resources differently and allow a greater leave period.
“But this is a terrific start, one we hope will be a springboard to an entire body of policies that will support working families in an equitable way.’”
U.S. stands alone in ignoring family expansion
“The United States is the only industrialized country in the world that does not provide parental leave,’’ said HR director Travis Graves. He pointed to a wheel of countries saying Canada provides 50 weeks paid leave, Mexico provides 12 weeks. “This is a big hole we see.”
Regionally, Seattle, King County and San Francisco all provide paid leave. In addition, companies including Nike, Microsoft, Intel and even small companies like Laughing Planet do so.
Graves said the county landed on the six weeks after surveys showed that is the amount of unpaid leave people are taking. During an average year, about 100 employees of 6,000 take parental leave.
“This fills that gap.’’
Graves said it will cost about a $1 million a year, and most likely affect those areas where there is 24/7 operations, such as corrections.
Nonetheless, he said it would not cause much impact.
“As a county, we almost always underspend in almost all departments, we actually budgeted at higher COLA, so we have a cushion built in that will be able to absorb that.”
Employee Emily Schulhoff is a senior contracts compliance specialist and the mother of Victor, 5, and August, 2. She told the board that during her pregnancy with Victor, her husband was laid off and at seven months, she wound up hospitalized with a serious complication.
“These events took us from being excited to being stressed and overwhelmed, how could I possibly take maternity leave? Knowing an unpaid leave was in my future terrified me.’”
Her husband eventually found work, but they drained their savings while she recovered and they struggled to manage ordinary illnesses after she returned to work with no vacation or sick time left. She thanks the board on behalf of the employee resource group for families that she co-leads.
“This action is encouraging and motivating in continuing to make Multnomah County a family friendly workplace.”
Board members fully support effort
Commissioner Loretta Smith said, "I urge folks to view this as an investment in our young people. The costs will be covered in a very responsible manner.’’
“Paid family leave will change how we do business at the county, it's a value that supports the work and makes us walk the talk,” said Commissioner Diane McKeel.
"I see it as a really good first step. Next step is making sure people take it,’’ said new father Bailey. “It’s about bonding, and supporting your spouse and learning how to be a parent and be with this kid and I wouldn’t trade that time for anything.”
“And I would really like to see private sector employers step up, as well.”
