San Francisco set an equality precedent for the rest of the us when it approved the non-discriminatory policy: one that has the potential to close the gender pay gap and expel remnants of socio-cultural stigmas surrounding non-traditional family units.
Advertisement
California is one of only five states that have some form of a paid family leave program on the books, though San Francisco’s bill – passed unanimously after supporters rallied on the steps of City Hall – is more advanced than existing USA laws by mandating that businesses pay mothers and fathers their full wages during a six-week leave period. “They don’t necessarily have the resources, they can’t absorb the increases in cost, and they feel like it’s kind of relentless, it’s one thing after the next”, said Dee Dee Workman, vice president of public policy at the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, according to The Chronicle.
Still, the idea of paid parental leave has garnered plenty of support across the country, particularly among Democrats and has figured prominently in the campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination.
The fact that San Francisco has approved paid parental leave could also see progress in closing socio-economic gaps that force lower income earners back to work before they are ready. “I think we all need more help”.
Life is about to get a little easier for new parents in San Francisco. If employers deny paid parental leave, the new law allows workers to file complaints with the city’s Office of Labor Standards Enforcement.
The San Francisco ordinance would require businesses with more than 20 employees to plug that gap by paying the remaining 45% of their employees’ wages.
Rhode Island and New Jersey also offer some paid sick leave, NY does too and the governor just signed a law giving workers up to 2/3 of their pay for 12 weeks of leave in the next five years. The regulation will be phased in, starting with businesses that employ 50 workers in January 2017.
Many tech firms have used parental leave policies as key selling points to prospective employees. Parents may benefit from extra paid parental leave, which has been tipped for inclusion in the 2014 budget announcement. “It’s just so hard to make ends meet with little ones in the house”.
The legislation does not apply to the federal, state or other municipal governments. In comparison, the city of Portland and Multnomah County in OR offer six weeks to its employees. Twitter, for example, announced a new policy Tuesday morning that will give 20 paid weeks off to “any full-time employee with a new child”.
Advertisement
Parental leave has become a key enticement for technology companies in Silicon Valley seeking to recruit and retain employees. Netflix Inc provides up to a year paid, while Facebook Inc provides four months and Microsoft Corp offers eight weeks.
