Publix grocery chain starts offering paid parental leave

LAKELAND, Fla. (AP) — Officials at the Publix grocery store chain says that they will start offering paid parental leave to employees who are new parents. The Florida-based company said Wednesday that eligible full-time and part-time workers will be able to take off the time during the first year of the birth or adoption of a child, starting with the new year. The privately-held, employee-owned company has 225,000 workers at almost 1,300 stores in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. Publix didn’t offer details on how much paid time off new parents would get. The new benefits come as retailers across the U.S. are facing a worker shortage and trying to retain employees.