Paid Family and Medical Leave

Minnesotans believe in caring for one another, yet most working Minnesotans don’t have the freedom to care for themselves or their families that comes with paid family and medical leave benefits. Without access to paid family and medical leave, many working Minnesotans face impossible choice between caring for a new child, an aging loved one, or themselves and losing pay. As a co-chair of the Paid Family and Medical Leave Coalition, the Minnesota AFL-CIO supports a state-administered paid leave insurance program, where everyone contributes, and everyone benefits. The legislation would provide for up to 12 weeks of partial wage replacement for medical leave so Minnesotans can take care of their own health and up to 12 weeks of partial wage replacement for family leave, so Minnesotans can take care of their family members. It would be funded by a small premium split between employers and employees, with each contributing .31% on employee earnings. For a median worker and their employer, this would be less than $2 per week.