Mayor Bill De Blasio yesterday announced a new paid parental leave policy for all New York City employees, which will provide six weeks of paid time off at 100% salary for maternity, paternity, adoption, and foster care leave.
The policy also allows for workers to combine the six weeks paid leave with any existing leave, including sick or vacation time off – for a total of 12 weeks of full pay.
“Too many new parents face an impossible choice: taking care of their child or getting their paycheck,” said de Blasio. “New York City is leading by example, putting us at the forefront of paid parental leave policies around the country. This is a common sense policy that will make for healthier and more financially stable working families – making it good for employees and employers.”
Studies such as the report from the President’s Council of Economic Advisers in 2014, found that over 90% of employers affected by a California paid leave initiative reported either positive or no noticeable impact on profitability, turnover, and morale.
Other studies have found that families that are able to take paid leave can substantially reduce infant mortality rates and improve a child’s overall health.
“As a longtime supporter of paid family and parental leave, I believe that it is critical in the United States today that we have a program that helps families after the birth of a newborn baby,” says Congressman Jerrold Nadler.
Approximately 20,000 City employees at the managerial level and those in the original jurisdiction can expect to benefit from the new paid leave policy effective January 1, 2016. The new benefit will not cost New York City taxpayers. Instead, the City will use the existing managerial raise of 0.47% and two days of existing vacation leave policy, currently received by long-service employees, to provide for the six weeks of paid parental leave.
“As a parent of two children, I fully support the Mayor’s action and look forward to engaging in collective bargaining with the city to ensure that our members also enjoy this vital benefit as soon as possible,” expressed District Council 37 Executive Director Henry Garrido.
U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand who recently appeared on CNN making her case for the National Paid Family Sick Leave Act legislation said, “We need a national paid-leave program that covers all Americans. I am thrilled that Mayor de Blasio is taking a lead in this important fight, [but] we must continue pushing to ensure that all working families have financial security with access to these common sense policies.”
Fort Greene City Council Member Laurie A. Cumbo, Chair of the Committee on Women’s Issues, says, “This is the first of many steps to ensure that our municipal workforce has every opportunity to contribute to our economy while raising families in a city that is setting the standard.”
The paid parental leave is not just a women’s issue as Park Slope City Council Member Brad Lander expressed, “Whether for moms or dads, by birth, adoption, or foster care – paid parental leave is a big deal. We all need it, and we all know it.”
Equally pleased with the Mayor’s new policy is Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, who noted that statewide family paid leave has been a key issue for him since the launch of his Family Friendly Brooklyn, an initiative that spotlights further issues such as breastfeeding empowerment zones and post-partum depression screening for women.
“My vision [is] for a borough that prioritizes the wellness of nearly 200,000 Brooklynites under the age of five,” Adams says. “I am pleased that dialogue with City Hall has helped foster a robust policy allowing men and women employed by our City to put the health of their families first in the fundamental first weeks of their newborn’s lives.”
Bushwick/East New York City Council Member Antonio Reynoso also approved de Blasio’s precedent saying, “Providing paid parental leave for NYC employees sets an important example – it demonstrates that New York is committed to supporting working families and providing the opportunity for them to care for their children without risking their security.”
“The de Blasio administration is to be commended for taking a huge step towards a more progressive New York. Residents of this city deserve nothing less,” echoed Flatlands City Council Member Jumaane D. Williams.
