As a small New Hampshire manufacturer, we are interested in excellent customer service, growing our business and treating our employees well. We see family leave as a critical tool for supporting employees of all ages and are highly interested in the bills before the House and Senate. We appreciate that Democrats and Republicans alike recognize the importance of family leave for retaining young employees as they start their families and for employees dealing with unexpected illness or aging parents.
We understand that working out the finances is tricky. Winging it on our own as a seven-person business is tricky, too. Three employees’ wives gave birth in under a year. We saw first-hand the pressure dads feel as they strive to balance work and be there for their wives and babies, especially through unexpected complications. All three dads were devoted to supporting their wives and bonding with their babies. Though we offered people some leave, it did not feel adequate and we wished that there had already been an affordable family leave program in place that we could have participated in. New Hampshire welcomes 12,275 babies a year and approximately 29 percent of adults are caring for aging parents.
As Democrats and Republicans negotiate to get to yes on a plan they can both support, we ask that you find a solution that New Hampshire’s small businesses can say yes to as well. There are approximately 100,000 N.H. employees working for businesses with fewer than 20 employees that are counting on it.
CYNDI PAULIN
Pittsfield
(The writer is the operations manager for MRP Manufacturing in Pittsfield.)