ALLENTOWN, Pa. — A new policy set to soon ease the minds of new parents who work for Lehigh County was signed into law Monday by county Executive Josh Siegel.
Siegel held a ceremony at the Lehigh County Government Center to celebrate the “tripartisan” support for the measure that gives new parents — including those who adopt and foster — eight weeks of paid leave “to allow [them)] to have time to bond with their child.”
The policy championed by Commissioners Sarah Fevig and Sheila Alvarado was unanimously approved last month by Republican and Democratic commissioners, as well as Ron Beitler, an independent.
“Those fondest memories with your newborn, with your loved one, should not be defined by economic fragility. They should be about warmth and celebration and your new journey into parenthood.”Lehigh County Executive Josh Siegel
That shows the “consensus and … unity around this policy,” Siegel said. He said Lehigh County is “leading by example” and joining “really rare company” by enacting a paid family leave policy.
State workers also are eligible for eight weeks of paid family leave, while Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Allegheny County have similar policies but offer their employees less time.
“Paid leave reflects a commitment to families, economic fairness and economic dignity,” Siegel said.
The first-year executive said Lehigh County’s new policy “was based on a very simple belief and simple framework … that parenthood should not come with a financial penalty.”
“Those fondest memories with your newborn, with your loved one, should not be defined by economic fragility,” Siegel said.
“They should be about warmth and celebration and your new journey into parenthood.”
'It's about morality': Siegel
Workers in Pennsylvania lost more than $2 billion in wages through unpaid or partially paid family leave in 2023, Siegel said, citing a statistic from the Center for Law and Social Policy.
But “the biggest reason that we should offer paid leave is not about money,” Siegel said. “It's about morality. It's the right thing to do for families.”
Kelly Evans, who works in the county’s Department of Aging Services, is preparing to have her second child.
"I'm going to focus on bonding, recovering and adjusting with my newborn.”Lehigh County employee Luz Cruz
She told LehighValleyNews.com she got two weeks pay after her first child’s birth, but spent 10 weeks more out of work without pay.
Evans said she returned to work “owing several hundred dollars” to cover insurance contributions that couldn’t be taken out of paychecks during that period.
Worrying about finances while adjusting to motherhood “was definitely difficult,” Evans said.
“I think that’s why it’s hitting me so much this time — because it’s such a weight off my shoulders,” she said, tearing up while speaking during the ceremony.
Lehigh County’s new paid family leave policy is due to take effect in six months, Siegel told LehighValleyNews.com on Monday.
That means Luz Cruz, who spoke at Monday’s ceremony, could be among the first Lehigh County workers to take advantage of the new policy. She’s due to give birth in early November.
A first-year county employee, Cruz said the thought of taking unpaid leave after giving birth to her first child “was weighing very heavy on me.”
She thanked county leaders for adopting the policy.
Now, "I'm going to focus on bonding, recovering and adjusting with my newborn,” Cruz said.
