Next week at the March 7 Regular Assembly Meeting, the Anchorage Assembly will hear public testimony on AO 2023-20, an ordinance to enact a paid parental leave benefit for municipal employees.
Sponsored by Assembly Members Austin Quinn-Davidson, Meg Zaletel and Chair Suzanne LaFrance, the ordinance would formalize four continuous weeks of paid leave to new parents and guardians working for the Municipality. The policy applies to new mothers, fathers, and legal guardians.
“We want Anchorage to be a great place to raise a family,” said Member Quinn-Davidson. “And we also want to attract and maintain a talented workforce, which ultimately saves taxpayers money. Adopting this policy is just one step toward restoring the Municipality’s reputation as a wonderful place to work, where parents and non-parents alike can thrive as public servants in their mission to ensure Anchorage is a beautiful, vibrant city.”
“The evidence is clear: paid parental leave has substantial health and economic benefits to infants and families alike,” said Member Zaletel. “Paid leave taken by both biological and adoptive parents following the arrival of a child reduces rates of infant mortality and hospitalizations as well as depression in parents. The bonding that happens during the first few weeks of new life together pays dividends in the long-term toward family stability, health, and economic vitality. This is an investment into the wellbeing of Anchorage families.”
“This policy is years in the making and long overdue,” said Chair LaFrance. “In 2020, the Assembly authorized the adoption of a parental leave policy, and after more than eight months of research, development and assessment by municipal departments and stakeholders, the former Quinn-Davidson Administration adopted this very policy. The mayor rescinded the policy within weeks of taking office and the municipal workforce felt the burden of that hasty, short-sighted decision.”
If approved, the paid parental leave benefit established by AO 2023-20 would apply immediately to executive and non-represented positions in the Municipality. The proposal also calls upon the Administration to confer with bargaining units to implement the same benefit for represented employees as soon as possible.
AO 2023-17 is expected to be scheduled for public hearing at the next Regular Assembly Meeting on February 21, 2023. Here are options to testify: