Paid leave helps employees and employers

Manhattan: A lot has changed since 1989, but one thing that hasn’t is New York’s temporary disability insurance program (TDI). Thirty-seven years later, eligible employees still receive no more than $170 per week for a maximum period of 26 weeks for paid medical leave. Only New York has a paid medical leave program that offers workers much less for paid family leave — here, one-tenth the benefit level.

Although some argue that updating TDI benefits isn’t related to the workplace and would hurt small businesses, entrepreneurs support changes. Small Business Majority network member and Brooklyn-based business owner Dave Bolotsky saw firsthand how inadequate New York’s TDI benefits are after one of his employees was hit by a car on the way to work and hospitalized. While his company has continued to pay his salary as he recovers, most small businesses can’t afford to do so. This puts them at a competitive disadvantage with large corporations that offer robust benefits like paid leave.

Entrepreneurs believe that robust paid leave programs such as TDI can improve employee morale and team cohesion and help employers retain talented workers. When employees don’t have to choose between their health and keeping their job, small businesses benefit. Being stuck in the past isn’t helping small businesses or their employees. It’s time to update the TDI program to bring paid medical leave into the 21st century.

Lindsey Vigoda, director, Small Business Majority New York

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