Educators, unions and lawmakers press committee to extend paid family, medical and bereavement leave to public educators

A steady stream of educators, union leaders, public‑employee lawmakers and bereavement advocates urged the Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development to extend paid family and medical leave (PFML) to public educators and to adopt a separate bereavement leave guarantee for the loss of a child.

Teachers and education support staff described how the current exclusion of many municipal and school employees from PFML forces them to rely on accrued sick time, unpaid leave or employer goodwill. "Under our current contracts, we are left with little options to care for ourselves and our families while worrying about how to manage the lack of paid leave," said Kelly Powers, a teacher in Duxbury, who testified in support of House Bill H2125 and companion Senate bill S1339.

Testimony included multiple personal accounts. Acadia Jewett and Eileen Roddy, both from Scituate and former teachers or union leaders, described colleagues who exhausted sick leave because of pregnancy complications, long hospital stays, or COVID‑related illness. "For a teacher who needs to take the full leave as unpaid, it can be a loss of approximately one‑third of their annual salary," Roddy said, noting long‑term pension and seniority penalties that can follow unpaid leave.

Union and advocacy groups asked the committee to consider several bills together. Max Page, president of the Massachusetts Teachers Association, said the 2018 PFML law was historic but left about 100,000 public school educators and many municipal employees without automatic access. "This is a...stain on this otherwise wonderful program," Page said, urging lawmakers to use Fair Share Amendment funds to help districts cover employer costs.

At least two related proposals were presented. Representatives and senators filed H2125/S1339 to extend PFML to educators; Senator Joe Comerford and Representative Natalie Blay filed a resolve (S1293/H2070) to create a special commission to study the socioeconomic and funding implications of extending PFML to all public employees. Lawmakers told the committee they wanted a careful, data‑driven assessment of costs and funding mechanisms before adoption.

Separate but related, Representative John Arciero and Dr. Kristen Dillon, founder of Junie's Place and a bereaved parent, urged passage of House Bill H2064, which would guarantee up to 10 days of paid bereavement leave for parents after the death of a child. Dr. Dillon described taking four months off after her daughter's death and told the committee, "10 days will never be enough. Grief does not end. It shapes every aspect of your life, but this bill is just the beginning."

Public‑sector lawmakers and union representatives framed the proposals as equity measures and workforce retention strategies. Senator Pat Jehlen and Representative Mike Connolly (testimony elsewhere in the record) said extending PFML could reduce turnover and remove a bargaining pressure that has led to strikes and contract disputes.

A range of municipal and education professionals said technical issues remain, including how employer contributions would be funded, whether educational collaboratives or regional employers would be included, and the interaction with existing local contracts. Senator Comerford and Representative Blay both recommended a commission to quantify impacts and propose funding paths.

Committee members asked for cost estimates and were told advocates would supply modeling; witnesses and sponsors said Fair Share revenue or targeted state support could subsidize employer costs while avoiding unfunded mandates on municipalities.

Ending: The committee heard extensive personal testimony and requests to report the bills favorably for further study and markup; staff accepted written testimony through the posted deadline and sponsors asked for a data‑driven analysis of budgetary impacts before a final recommendation.