Allegheny County becomes first in Pennsylvania to adopt paid parental leave policy

On Tuesday, Allegheny County made history as the first county in Pennsylvania to adopt paid parental leave for workers.

In an 11-4 vote, Allegheny County Council passed the plan, which was first proposed in May.

The four council members who voted against it said they aren't against the idea of paid parental leave; rather, they didn't agree on how this process played out.

"I see this, that the proponents of this paid leave mandate, most notably the county executive, have chosen a cynical and politically convenient path, rather than introducing a universal publicly-funded program that would require an honest conversation about raising county revenue," Councilwoman Suzanne Filiaggi said. 

Councilwoman Bethany Hallam countered, saying, "I want to remind them that we were elected as legislators. Our job is to make laws, by definition. And sure, it would be great if the state would do anything, or the feds would step in and make policies nationwide. But we all know that's not something that happens. Our job is not to constantly defer to higher governmental bodies, but instead it is to do the extent of what we are able to do."

On Thursday, two days after council passed it, Allegheny County Chief Executive Sara Innamorato signed it into law.

There will now be a six- to 12-month implementation period.

Under the plan, companies within Allegheny County that have 15 or more eligible employees will need to offer 12 weeks of paid parental leave. Businesses with fewer than 15 employees are exempt. Full-time workers are eligible after six months, while part-time employees will qualify after 625 hours.

Editor's Note: In an earlier video version of this story, public comment from a supporter of paid parental leave was inadvertently used that made it appear that he was against the plan. The supporter was quoting someone else.