The Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry formally voiced its opposition to the Allegheny County Board of Health’s amendment to Article XXIV that would mandate up to 19 weeks of employer-funded paid leave.
According to the chamber, the proposal presents significant concerns over its scope, cost and impact on Pennsylvania employers, particularly small and mid-sized businesses.
Citing the proposal’s requirements and limited eligibility standards, the chamber said the proposal “would position Allegheny County as perhaps the most extreme and business-hostile jurisdiction in the country.”
The proposed policy would require employers to provide up to 18 weeks of paid leave following the birth, adoption or placement of a child, and place the full financial and administrative burden on the employers. The chamber said the proposal’s eligibility standard, which allows employees to qualify after just 30 days on the job, is a departure from federal policy.
“After more than 30 years, through both Democratic and Republican Administrations and Congresses, that standard has remained constant,” the letter notes.
The chamber’s comments also said it would require employers to pay two salaries for one job. The increased costs – combined with labor shortages and other economic pressures – could have financial impact on businesses and force layoffs or closures. Those impacts would be especially felt in the small business and nonprofit sectors.
The chamber also said the proposal raised concerns about compliance burdens in navigating a mandate that would add complexity for businesses operating across multiple jurisdictions, and that the proposal would weaken the region’s competitiveness when it came to attracting businesses to grow the region’s economy.