Stakeholders are calling for extra paid go away for Georgian staff

Push for paid paternity leave in Georgia

Some stakeholders want all Georgian workers to have paid paternity leave.

ATLANTA – – Just over a week after Governor Brian Kemp signed a bill giving state employees and public school teachers three weeks of paid parental leave, proponents urged heads of state to expand it.

“This is an important first step in the right direction to support working families in Georgia,” said Allison Glass of 9to5 Georgia. “Paid vacation is important to everyone, regardless of political affiliation, and we are glad to have supported this bipartisan effort. However, we know that working Georgians need and deserve more. Three weeks is not enough time and the vast majority of Georgians are is still without paid family or sick leave. “

The Glass Group is part of the GA Paid Leave Coalition, which aims to raise awareness and work with state lawmakers to provide at least 12 weeks of paid family vacation and medical leave to all Georgia workers.

“Paid vacation means you can look after your children when schools are closed, you can drive your parents to the next doctor’s appointment, and have time to recover from illness without worrying about losing your job “explained Glass.

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 18% of workers in the South have access to paid family vacations.

Nine states and the District of Columbia have already paid family vacation laws on the books, but some fear a change to Georgian law could hurt small businesses.

“While it is well meant to force small businesses into a unified mandate, it could be even more difficult for them to find innovative ways to accommodate their employees. Every small business is different, but everyone is competing to find workers right now Said Nathan Humphrey, state director of NFIB Georgia.

“According to NFIB’s latest Small Business Economic Trends survey, 44% of small business owners across the country have vacancies that they cannot fill because not enough people are applying. Unlike larger employers, small business owners typically know the names of all of their employees and employers even their employees’ families of employees. Incentives work better than mandates, and we firmly believe that in these challenging times, entrepreneurs will find creative, innovative ways to look after their employees. “

Small Business Majority’s Rachel Shanklin said Georgia could adopt a model similar to other states where workers and possibly employers are paying into a government-administered program.

“A government-administered paid vacation insurance program will help make small businesses more competitive by ensuring that all workers, regardless of the size of the company they work for, can get paid family vacation,” Shanklin said.

The GA Paid Leave Coalition said it was working with several state lawmakers to draft laws before the next meeting.

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