Obama to give federal employees six weeks maternity leave

[Eugene]

Source: The Guardian

Obama to give federal employees six weeks maternity leave

Dan Roberts in Washington
theguardian.com, Thursday 15 January 2015 00.21 GMT

Federal employes will be given at least six weeks of paid leave to care for new children under plans unveiled by the White House to kick-start legislative efforts to close the gap in family benefits offered by the US and other wealthy countries.

Democrats have been pushing for better maternity and sick leave rights for over a decade in Congress with little success, but plans by Barack Obama to back the passage of a Healthy Families Act with the executive action for government workers and $2.2bn of new funding for state efforts would be the first time the president has acted on the issue.

The long-stalled legislation would also allow workers in the private sector to earn up to seven days a year of paid sick time and although it is still opposed by most Republicans, Obama’s intervention ahead of the State of Union address next week suggests Democrats hope to make the policy an issue for emerging 2016 presidential candidates.

In a briefing for reporters, White House officials said its plan to grant six weeks of paid leave to workers at federal agencies would be “an advance” on their future leave entitlements aimed specifically at new parents rather than an additional grant, which would be difficult to provide without legislation.

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Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/jan/14/obama-give-federal-employees-six-weeks-maternity-leave

[Major Nikon]

1. The title from the article seems a bit misleading

Obama is not giving them anything. He's just allowing them to take an advance on leave they will earn. It's not much different than what is already allowed for under FMLA. It's certainly a good thing, but just not as good as the title suggests.

[madville]

9. They are basically extending advance leave limits

Right now a federal employee can take up to one year's worth of paid annual leave in advance, or go one year's worth in the hole, whichever way you wanna look at it.

Right now new federal employees get about 2.5 weeks of annual leave a year or 4 hours a pay period, it advances to 6 hours eventually, and then 8 hours after 15 years. Sick leave is 4 hours a pay period no matter what.

If they are talking sick leave only, it would take over two years to earn six weeks worth to replace the hours taken during a six week maternity leave.

It's probably the best they can do though but it's not really an extra benefit, it's just increasing the current limits on leave "debt" an employee can accumulate. And that employee is then literally indebted to the government until they earn it back, they will collect if the person quits or is fired before their leave debt is earned back. Usually they will garnish the last paycheck, if it's more they can but a lien on future tax returns and/or social security benefits.

[riverbendviewgal]

2. Parental Leave around the world

The USA is very lacking.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parental_leave

[Cha]

3. This isn't something to whine about .. it's great.. mahalo Eugene! Thanks Obama

[mcar]

4. Excellent news

[sheshe2]

5. Thank you Eugene.

[abelenkpe]

6. They don't already have six weeks?

Six weeks is not enough and is a pathetic joke compared to other nations.

[Fumesucker]

7. Hopefully not all at once

That could be a bit of a problem.

[LeftyMom]

10. That's what everybody in CA gets

and we do okay.

[Glassunion]

8. We do 12 where I work. We manage just fine.