Pittsburgh employees would get bereavement leave after miscarriages under proposal

About 500 nonunion Pittsburgh employees would be eligible for paid bereavement leave in the event a pregnancy ends under legislation Councilman Bobby Wilson introduced Tuesday.

“When I think about workers’ rights, this is a piece that’s missing,” Wilson said in an interview after he introduced the legislation.

It would amend the city’s human resources code to provide for a paid leave of up to three days in the event of a “miscarriage, stillbirth or termination” of pregnancy.

The proposed legislation would provide for leave for those going through a failed in-vitro fertilization procedure or surrogacy loss, which can be as painful as going through a miscarriage, Wilson said.

The legislation cites how 29% of women who go through a miscarriage or stillbirth experience post-traumatic stress disorder, 24% have anxiety and 11% have moderate-to-severe depression, according to the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

It also cites a 2019 report by the city’s Gender Equity Commission that found the rate of pregnancy loss is 90% higher in Pittsburgh than it is in similar U.S. cities.

Going through it “requires time to heal,” the legislation says, and it provides for leave similar to that given to employees who experience a death in their immediate family.

“It’s important to provide this additional benefit,” Wilson said.

The proposal, if approved, would cover the city’s nonunion employees and the policy would be considered for inclusion in future union contracts, Wilson said.

“I’m asking all large employers, nonprofits, foundations and other government authorities to join in offering similar leave,” he said.

It isn’t right for people to need to use vacation or other leave time to recover from such a loss, he said.

Wilson introduced the legislation without comment or opposition from other council members.

It would be the latest expansion of benefits for employees.

This year, the city began covering the cost of infertility treatments for employees and it also has provided coverage for gender reassignment treatment since 2018.