Lakewood Again Considers Paid, Parental Leave

LAKEWOOD, OH — An ordinance providing paid parental leave to Lakewood employees was introduced this week.

Ordinance 02-2021 would provide paid parental leave to all full-time employees of the city. The ordinance was read for the first time on Tuesday and then sent to the Health and Human Services Committee for further consideration.

"A parent should have the option to take care of their child in those first crucial months of development without facing financial hardship. And without a public option that includes paid parental leave, it's our responsibility as an employer to provide these important benefits to our employees," Councilperson Tristan Rader told Patch in an emailed statement.

Paid parental leave for Lakewood employees was actually first introduced in January 2019. While the proposal attracted attention, it was not adopted. In the interim between proposals, conditions in Lakewood and around the world have worsened due to COVID-19.

"The need for paid parental leave benefits has only grown more necessary in the wake of our global public health emergency. Many other American municipalities, counties, and local governments have now recognized this fact and are modernizing parental leave benefit programs to be more in line with most- if not all- other Western democracies," said Mayor Meghan George and Councilpersons Tess Neff and Rader in a letter to council.

The trio argued paid parental leave would make Lakewood a more attractive place to work, easing attracting and retaining talent. There are also benefits to both the child and family in allowing increased time together, they said.

The full ordinance can be seen in city council's Jan. 19 agenda.