Updated: Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer has signed an ordinance into effect providing 12 weeks of paid parental leave to municipal workers. A Better Balance is proud to have worked with the Louisville Metro Council on this important resolution and appreciate the Mayor’s support of this ordinance, which will impact 5,000 city employees.
This new policy, which was unanimously supported by the Metro Council, includes 12 weeks of paid leave for parents welcoming a child by birth or adoption, as well as 2 weeks of paid leave for families receiving a child placed through foster or kinship care. The passage of this ordinance is part of a collaborative effort recognizing the importance of family-friendly policies from all perspectives, designed to increase the city’s ability to recruit and retain employees.
As the ongoing pandemic continues to compound the importance of supportive policies for working families, these benefits will ensure that parents can remain attached to the workforce at a time when their paychecks are critical. For our economy to rebuild, we need to ensure that parents—and especially mothers—are able to thrive in the workplace. Measures like paid parental leave have consistently proven critical in promoting positive health outcomes for parents and children, and tackling racial disparities in maternal and infant mortality.
“This measure will provide economic security and bolster the public health of parents and children while showing that the city values its workforce, especially during these difficult economic times in the wake of the pandemic, which is disproportionately affecting workers of color,” said A Better Balance staff attorney Kameron Dawson. “It was a pleasure to work with Council Member Chambers Armstrong and others to support this measure, representing another move forward in the South toward stronger paid family leave protections for all.”
