Small Business Advocacy Organizations Urge Congress to Take Action on Paid Family and Medical Leave
WASHINGTON, D.C. ‒ Organizations representing hundreds of thousands of small business owners signed on to a letter urging Congress to guarantee paid family and medical leave for all small businesses and their employees in the United States.
The letter, delivered to Congressional offices on Wednesday, calls on lawmakers to strengthen paid leave provisions that will allow small business owners and workers to take time off from work to care for themselves and/or their loved ones. Paid leave has already been shown to help to suppress the spread of the virus and provide stability for business owners who continue to deal with immense uncertainty. The signers noted they were encouraged by the scale and broad focus of the infrastructure programs included in the American Jobs & Families Plans the Biden administration has and will announce.
“There is a clear and direct link between public health, paid time to care, small business viability, and a strong economy,” said Stephen Michael, Executive Director of Main Street Alliance, a lead partner organization of Small Business for Paid Leave, a coalition of grassroots and small business membership organizations working in partnership with Paid Leave for All to advocate for paid family and medical leave policy. “Business owners are doing everything they can to stay afloat and protect the health and safety of their employees and customers during these times, but Congress must step in to ensure equal access to paid leave becomes a foundation in our economy as we seek to build back better and more resilient than before.”
Paid leave is an essential component to ensuring more small businesses are able to make it back to profitability and to leveling the playing field for small businesses in the long run. We must never be unprepared for a crisis like this again.
“Paid leave is not just a benefit to society, but to businesses’ bottom lines and the economy as a whole,” said David Levine, Co-founder and President of ASBC. “Especially as we move from crisis to recovery, we need to use all the tools in our toolbox to support a robust recovery. That’s why we need a comprehensive paid leave program offered to every American family no matter where they work or live.
"Small business owners know it makes good business sense to take care of their employees, as it’s crucial to retaining a productive and talented workforce," said John Arensmeyer, founder & CEO of Small Business Majority. "But unfortunately many small employers don't have the resources to offer paid family and medical leave, putting them at a disadvantage when it comes to attracting and retaining employees and rebuilding after COVID. This is why we need a national paid family and medical leave insurance program, which is something small businesses overwhelmingly support."
"As we work to rebuild our economy, ensuring there are policies in place that provide small businesses and their workers financial security is critical,” said Erika Moritsugu, Vice President for the National Partnership for Women & Families, an organization that has been fighting for and defending the rights of women in the workforce for nearly 50 years. “We must level the playing field for small businesses and their workers so they can take time off work to care for themselves or a loved one without missing a paycheck or risking their job regardless of where they are on Main Street or Wall Street.”
“Paid leave is a fundamental support for small businesses and workers alike. A national program must be a part of our infrastructure going forward if we want our economy to remain healthy, competitive, and resilient,” said Dawn Huckelbridge, National Director of Paid Leave for All.
The groups are asking Congress to pass a comprehensive, sustainable, and affordable paid leave foundation as critical component of recovery.
Comprehensive paid leave is overwhelmingly supported by 84 percent of the public and over two-thirds of small business owners. In a June 2020 survey of Main Street Alliance members, the number one concern cited during the pandemic was keeping their employees and customers healthy, even over low sales, and paid leave was chosen as a priority over liability shields by 2 to 1 margin. More than 1,400 small business owners nationwide added their names to state and federal campaigns calling for comprehensive paid leave.