Last month, I had the opportunity to join a Google Hangout with U.S. Secretary of Labor Tom Perez and a half-dozen other writers who have been following the Obama administration’s efforts to pass paid family leave legislation nationwide.
It took place two days after President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address when he said:
"Today, we’re the only advanced country on Earth that doesn’t guarantee paid sick leave or paid maternity leave to our workers."
Before taking questions, Perez reported that the Department of Labor was working on several fronts to increase family economic security, including speaking with 100 state legislators on the subject. As a Hawaii resident, I thought it was particularly interesting that he did not believe a state’s "red" or "blue" status was a factor in whether legislation supportive of working families was likely to pass. Instead, he noted that policymakers supporting paid family leave understand that helping working people get back on the job after a pregnancy or family medical issue helps strengthen the foundation of a vibrant economy.
I was excited to be part of this discussion because on Friday, members of the Hawaii Legislature’s House Committee on Labor and Public Employment will hear testimony about why we need paid family leave in Hawaii.
They will likely hear that only 11 percent of employees nationwide have access to paid leave through their employers and that women are affected disproportionately. They will also hear that in Hawaii, 247,000 people serve as family caregivers, and of those who need paid leave in our state but do not have access to it, 1 in 3 needs to care for an aging parent or spouse.
The proposed House Bill 496 would create a trust fund that employees contribute to, and which would provide partial wage replacement for up to 12 weeks when the employee gives birth or needs to care for a loved one. Because Hawaii’s bill does not require businesses to contribute, nor does it rely on state funds to continue operating, it is a win-win for businesses, taxpayers and working families.
In his discussion, Perez encouraged those of us working to pass paid family leave to make the business case for workplace policies that support families. For example, paid leave improves worker retention, which reduces turnover costs. Currently, across all occupations, median turnover rates cost businesses an estimated 21 percent of worker’s wages. In fact, a 2011 study estimated that California’s family leave program saved employers $89 million a year by improving worker retention and increasing productivity, and improving morale.
This is not the first time that a family paid leave bill has been introduced to Hawaii’s Legislature, but I believe the time is right for HB 496 to pass.
Now more than ever, our legislators, many of whom are caregivers themselves, understand that a thriving economy is only as strong as the families that participate in it. Further, they understand that the majority of workers become caregivers at some point in their working lives, and our economy depends on their ability to continue to contribute both labor and intellectual capital, even if they have to take breaks.
During the Hangout, Perez expressed confidence that the passage of paid family leave legislation throughout the country was "not a question of if, but when."
In Hawaii, we have the opportunity to turn "when" into "now."
Shay Chan Hodges, author of "Lean On and Lead, Mothering and Work in the 21st Century Economy," is a Maui resident and community activist.
