Allegheny County approves first county-level paid parental leave
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Nurses and advocates in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, successfully campaigned for a new policy providing 12 weeks of paid parental leave to eligible workers.
Jean Stone, a nurse at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital in Pittsburgh, and her colleagues initiated the effort five months ago, uniting with working parents and leaders to address the lack of paid leave for new parents.
The Allegheny County Council voted 11 to 4 on Tuesday to enact the program, which will offer paid leave to both birthing and non-birthing parents within one year of childbirth, adoption, foster placement, or stillbirth. To qualify, employees must work full-time for at least six months or be part-time workers with a minimum of 625 logged hours. Businesses with 15 or more employees will fund the benefit directly, a point that drew debate during the process.
The policy arose from a community survey conducted by nurses at Magee, who found widespread support for paid leave as a way to improve maternal health and retain healthcare workers. Advocates highlighted the need for paid leave, citing rising rates of severe maternal morbidity in the county, particularly among Black women. They also pointed to the fact that the United States remains the only industrialized nation without a federal paid leave policy, relying instead on unpaid leave or state-level programs.
While 14 states and Washington, D.C., have implemented their own paid leave programs, Pennsylvania is not among them. Supporters hope this county-level win will build momentum for a statewide policy.
