On Monday, Seattle Mayor Ed Murray and Councilmember M. Lorena González enacted a new paid family and parental leave policies and new wage transparency measures. The bills call for the current paid parental leave policy for City employees to be increased to 12 weeks and provides four weeks of paid family leave for employees to care for sick family members.
Also, beginning in March, City employee salaries will be made available on Seattle.gov to increase wage transparency throughout City departments to help close the gender and racial pay-gap at the City. These proposals stem from the City’s Workforce Equity Strategic plan.
“No person should be forced to choose between their job and caring for their family,” said Murray. “These measures ensure City employees will no longer be forced to take unpaid leave to care for aging parents, and new moms will have access to more paid leave to welcome and care for a child. These are steps in the right direction and I urge private businesses to follow our lead in creating a fairer workplace for people of color, women, and working families.”
“It’s no secret that family-care obligations often fall to women, and particularly women of color,” said González. “With paid family and parental leave policies get to the heart of racial and gender equity, today we remove institutional barriers to employment opportunities at the City and once again, lead the country by living and practicing our values.”
Those employed by the City for at least six months will automatically receive eight weeks of paid parental leave when a new child is born or a child is placed in their legal care. Four additional weeks are available to employees depending on the amount of leave remaining in their vacation and sick time balances.
Paid Parental Leave:
- The leave benefit will increase from four weeks to up to twelve weeks for eligible employees, for the non-medical care of a newborn or child placed for adoption, foster care or legal guardianship.
- The leave must be used within 12 months of birth or placement.
Paid Family Care Leave:
- Eligible employees may receive up to four weeks for the care of a qualifying family member with a serious health condition in a 12-month period.
- Qualifying family members include employees’ parents, spouses or domestic partners and children, or the children or parents of employees’ spouses or domestic partners.
- Eligible employees must have the serious health condition of a family member certified by a health care provider, and must draw down their sick leave to a minimum of two weeks and vacation leave to one week to receive “new” leave.
These benefits will be implemented retroactively to January 1, 2017 allowing City employees to access this leave for events starting this year.
