MAGA Mayor Bronson Rescinds Municipal Paid Parental Leave Policy

An email sent this morning by Labor Relations Director Raylene Griffith gave notice that Mayor Bronson had rescinded, immediately, the paid parental leave program put into place by former Acting Anchorage Mayor Austin Quinn-Davidson.

In June, Quinn-Davidson signed the Municipality's first paid parental leave policy, which provided 160 hours of non-cashable leave to regular, full-time eligible executive and non-represented employees approved for FMLA leave for a qualifying life event, such as the birth of a child or children, or placement of a child or children with the employee for adoption or foster care.

At the time, former Acting Mayor Austin Quinn-Davidson said the policy had long been in the making and that "paid parental leave improves employee lives and morale while also saving our city money due to reduced employee turnover. It's a real win-win for employees and taxpayers alike."

On Twitter today, Quinn-Davidson wrote that the parental leave policy was good for babies because it lowered mortality rates, was good for moms as health stats go up, and was good for the economy in that individuals stay at their jobs, avoiding turnover costs.

Quinn-Davidson said she wanted to know why Mayor Bronson rescinded the policy.

Mayor Bronson, whose campaign mailers often carried "pro-family" verbiage, has not yet given a rationale for ending the paid parental program.