A Mother’s Struggle with Maternity Leave Policy Sparks Public Outcry
A former employee of the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board found herself in an unexpected and financially burdensome situation after deciding to take time off to care for her newborn. Indica Medeiros, who had been working in park maintenance since 2020, gave birth to a premature child last fall. The infant required extensive medical attention, making it difficult for Medeiros and her husband—also a park worker—to return to their jobs immediately.
The couple quickly realized that returning to work was not feasible due to the high cost of childcare and the need for full-time care for their newborn. Ten days before her scheduled return, Medeiros informed the Park Board that she would not be coming back and would instead stay home to raise her two children under the age of two.
Months later, the Park Board sent Medeiros a $13,400 invoice demanding repayment for her parental leave benefits. This came as a shock, as the policy included a clause requiring employees to return to work for at least four weeks following maternity leave or risk repaying the entire amount. This clause, which was buried in the Park Board’s parental leave policy, sparked immediate backlash from labor leaders and the public.
Medeiros was told she would have to repay all 12 weeks of paid parental leave or face legal action. When she requested to use her accrued sick and vacation days to buy time to arrange childcare, the Park Board denied her requests, terminated her employment, and sent her the bill.
Her husband and father-in-law still work within the Minneapolis park system, but no family member could provide early-morning childcare. Additionally, no daycare facility within budget opened before 6 a.m., the time parkkeepers are expected to report for work.
“It was difficult trying to find something that checked all the boxes,” Medeiros said. “And pricing, obviously, of day care is pretty outrageous.”
Laborers Union Local 363, which represents park keepers, filed an unfair labor practice charge, accusing the agency of unilaterally enforcing a policy it never properly bargained over. AJ Lange, business manager of Local 363, stated that the policy had never been sent to the union and that there were no records of it being enforced before.
Facing pressure from the union, bad press, and a looming legal deadline, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) backed down. It canceled its demand for repayment and pledged to change its parental leave policy before the state’s sweeping new paid family leave law takes effect in 2026.
“I was very shocked, because had I known that, I probably would have made different decisions,” Medeiros said. “It was very stressful on our family the first few months.”
The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development confirmed that under the new state law, employers will not be allowed to make parental leave benefits contingent on return-to-work requirements. Such conditions would be illegal.
In a letter sent this week to Medeiros, MPRB Superintendent Al Bangoura announced a sweeping reversal. He wrote that the MPRB has decided to no longer make its paid parental leave conditional upon returning to work, citing the upcoming state law.
“With the new state law, MN Paid Family Leave, going into effect in January 2026, the MPRB has decided that it, in advance of the law becoming effective, will no longer make its PPL conditional upon returning to work,” Bangoura wrote.
He added that the policy was originally instituted to support parent-child bonding and was being reformed to better reflect the agency’s values of supporting employees and families.
The decision marks a dramatic about-face and a major win for Medeiros and her supporters. The Park Board had originally modeled its parental leave policy on the city of Minneapolis’ policy, but a city spokesperson confirmed that it is also adapting its policies to mirror the incoming state law.
“The city is working on implementing the new state law and will share more with city employees as the work continues,” said spokesperson Jess Olstad.
Daily Mail has reached out to MPRB for further comment.
