Washington, DC —Today, small business owners and other community members across the country turned out in droves to cast their ballots for candidates supporting Main Street.

Do politicians really care about people like me — a small business owner, a woman, and a mother of three — and my employees? Or will they put the interests of giant corporations and their donors first?

Main Street Alliance Minnesota Members Meet with CD-8 Candidate Joe Radinovich and receive questionnaire responses from Pete Stauber.

One of the issues I am concerned about in the election, specifically Governor’s race is electing a candidate who will pass paid family leave legislation.  I was part of the effort to pass earned sick and safe time in Minneapolis and then protect it against preemption at the state level, but it’s not always quite enough for small businesses like mine.

Good bakers and cooks are hard to find and keep. I do everything I can to reduce turnover at my cafe, and paying fair wages is part of that.  I was an early adopter of earned sick and safe time when the ordinance came to Minneapolis, and it’s been good for my business. My employees know they will be taken care of, so they are loyal and work hard and that benefits my business.  Last spring, when one of my two full-time bakers found out his partner was pregnant, I was one of the first people to know. They were worried about taking time to be off and wanted to be able to plan.  

While the employee had earned six days worth of paid time off, I decided to pay three weeks paternity leave. Honestly, it cost me quite a bit, and was even more challenging as I had to pay another employee overtime to cover the missing employee’s time. To make up expenses like these, I end up just not paying myself.

It was the right thing to do, and I am glad that the family had that time together, but I can’t imagine doing this for more than one employee in a year.  Restaurants run on a very small profit margin. We need more support for paid family leave to pass next session. I will support candidates who make it easier for small businesses like mine to provide benefits to employees, so people can work at our restaurants and retail shops and still have a high quality of life and access to healthcare and basic benefits like family leave. 

MSA NJ small business owner, Dan Preston on health care & small business. Originally posted as a Letter to the Editor on November 2, 2018 in Burlington County Times.

Michigan Small Business Alliance Releases Report Highlighting New Earned Paid Sick Time Law’s Implications for Small Business

DETROIT, MI— The Michigan Small Business Alliance held a press call today with State Representative Stephanie Chang to discuss the new earned paid sick time legislation and what small business owners can expect from its implementation.

The Alliance also released a new report today that serves as a guide for small business owners to implement the new law and draw on lessons from other localities that have similar laws. The report highlights the necessity for earned sick time, citing that employees’ access to earned sick time improves overall health and productivity in the workplace, increases employee retention and reduces healthcare costs.

WASHINGTON, DC – Ahead of the Senate vote on Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court, Amanda Ballantyne, National Director of Main Street Alliance, a national network of small business owners, released the following statement:

“The Senate’s procedural vote today to end debate on Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination takes us one step closer to risking the wellbeing and freedom of millions of people while ignoring the alarming sexual assault allegations against him. The Senate has chosen to neglect its duty to thoroughly weigh all allegations before a final vote on his nomination. The serious allegations made against Judge Kavanaugh, coupled with the belligerent demeanor and untruthfulness he displayed during his testimony, demonstrate unequivocally that he is unfit to serve on the highest court in the land. It’s also clear that if confirmed Kavanaugh will only serve Trump’s larger agenda by promoting policies that benefit large corporations, jeopardizing our Main Street economy, denying millions of families and women access to affordable health care, and allowing President Trump to wield unchecked power.

Main Street Alliance members in Lancaster, Pennsylvania met this Tuesday with Jess King, candidate for Congress in Pennsylvania’s 11th District, to discuss the city’s growing small business economy.

The conversation between King and business leaders, held at the gallery space at Realm and Reason on West King Street, covered a wide range of issues facing small businesses in Lancaster, from affordable health care to support for startups and efforts to increase the diversity of small business owners in the community.

WASHINGTON, DC – In response to Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady introducing the GOP’s “2.0” tax proposal, Main Street Alliance, a national network of small business owners, released the following statements:

“It is irresponsible for House Republican leaders to push another $2.9 trillion tax cut for the super-rich, jeopardizing Main Street businesses and communities. Provisions meant to win over small business, like a modest deduction for start-up expenses, don’t make up for the rising costs small business owners will have to contend with resulting from the Republican budget cuts.

Fifteen years ago I had a comfortable life and what most would describe as a great job, working for the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. But I felt a pull to follow my dream of running my own business on the Maine coast, especially during those long, muggy summer nights in the capital.

In the years since we’ve made our home and family here, in many ways my dream has come true. We own and operate a bed and breakfast a few blocks from the water, just how I pictured things. As idyllic as that sounds, reality persists enough to keep me in the waking world. One harsh bit of reality conveniently absent in my dreams back in Washington was the difficulty small business owners have finding quality, affordable health care for themselves and their family.