“When my employees started having kids, I realized that it was critical to provide paid parental leave. As the owner of a small landscaping business, it wasn’t easy to offer these benefits, but I made it work. It was important to me that my employees spend that precious time after a child is born, adopted, or fostered with their families, and I didn’t want them to have to choose between their families or their job. As my employees move through the lifecycle, I know additional medical and family caregiving needs will arise. An employee may need to care for a personal medical illness, an ailing parent, or god forbid a sick child. I don’t want my employees to be faced with the impossible choice of putting food on the table or caring for a loved one. But with a modest bottom line, it’s difficult for me or any small business owner to provide paid and family medical leave, and I’m not sure my business could afford it. Strong federal policies that ensure all workers and small business owners can take the time to care, like the FAMILY Act, would help solve this challenge for small businesses like mine in Minnesota and across the country.”
Jason Rathe, Owner
