Legislation for paid family leave is expected to be up for a vote this month in the Michigan Legislature, and advocates say it’s a must for the state.
Monique Stanton heads up the Michigan League for Public Policy and says the leave is designed sort of like an insurance program that’s set up for when somebody needs to go on leave, through contributions from both the employee and the employer. She adds that for employers at even smaller operations, this would level the playing field.
“If all employers in Michigan have a program where they’re offering paid family leave, right now as it stands at 15 weeks of leave, that’s something that you don’t have to worry about competing with maybe a bigger or more well -resourced employer to recruit and retain your staff. ”
Stanton says employers that have less than 25 employees would not be required to pay the employer contribution, but their employees are still eligible for paid family leave through the employee contribution. That would mean additional cost savings for those really small businesses or those smaller nonprofits that would be able to offer their staff a robust program.
