Recently, U.S. Labor Secretary Thomas Perez, Hawaii lawmakers, business leaders, and worker and family advocates met at the state Capitol to discuss the need for mandated paid time off for employees with family medical issues.

Perez began by praising Hawaii’s long history of supporting workers, emphasizing that policies like paid leave, workplace flexibility and child and elder care boost labor force participation, productivity and better allocation of talent across the economy.

Adequate paid leave for the birth of a child encourages mothers to maintain their careers and, further, allows both parents time to bond with their children. Paid leave also means that anyone can take time off to care for a family member without having to make the choice between ohana and a job.

Working is not optional for most men and women in our state. Whether they are single parents or one of two earners, economic realities require most to bear significant financial responsibilities. And most belong to a family, even if they don’t have children.

At some point, either they or someone close to them will need help. In Hawaii, 1 in 3 residents ultimately will care for an aging parent or spouse.

At the same time, our state needs educated and talented individuals to participate fully in the economy and reach their potential in the workplace.Yet paid family medical and short-term sick-leave bills failed during the 2015 legislative session.

The family-leave bill proposed this year would have created a fund that employees pay into, providing partial wage replacement for up to 12 weeks. Even though employers were not required to contribute, the bill faced significant opposition from the business community, including the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii, which cited concerns about burdening small businesses.

Studies show that these concerns are unfounded. In California — where paid leave has been mandated for 10 years — 90 percent of businesses report no corresponding rise in expenses.

Furthermore, policies that support work-life balance save employers money by helping to retain talent and reduce turnover, given that replacing a worker can cost 20 percent of that employee’s annual salary.

Unfortunately, neither common sense nor the need to improve the economy appear to be reasons enough for leaders to support family-friendly policies. Over the years, numerous efforts to pass medical- and sick-leave laws in Hawaii have been defeated. Meanwhile, employees who are covered under the federal Family Medical Leave Act, mandating up to 12 weeks of unpaid time off, often risk termination when they take leave for a medical issue or to care for a family member.

The truth is, most legislation supporting working families in our state have not gone far enough. We need to put people first.

Another attendee at the recent meeting was Kimberlee Bassford, one of the producers working on a new documentary about working mothers and paid leave policies.

Bassford also directed the 2008 film, “Patsy Mink: Ahead of the Majority,” in which the late U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye, when reflecting on the congresswoman’s life and work, emphasized: “You must have, in any movement, people who are insistent and demanding.”

Perez’s meeting notwithstanding, this is clearly the case with paid family leave.

In preparation for the next legislative session, we, as workers, mothers, fathers, sons and daughters, must fight to propel this movement forward — insisting on laws supporting both our families and Hawaii’s economy.

In fact, we must demand them.

Shay Chan Hodges, left, is a Maui resident and author of “Lean On and Lead, Mothering and Work in the 21st Century Economy”; Stephen West authored the Working Families Resolution and is a business agent of the ILWU.