Today, San Francisco supervisors unanimously passed an ordinance that will expand access to fully paid parental leave for the city’s workers. This legislation is the first of its kind in the country, and an important step forward for women, families, and our community.
In 2004, California became the first state in the country to enact a paid family leave program, providing workers with up to 55% of their regular earnings for six weeks to bond with a new child. These benefits, which are funded entirely by employee contributions, have been a great boon to workers and employers But too many workers aren’t able to actually use the paid leave because they can’t make ends meet, let alone support a new child, on 55% of their normal pay.
Under the Paid Parental Leave for Bonding with a New Child ordinance introduced by Supervisor Scott Wiener, San Francisco workers who are employed by businesses with at least 20 employees will be guaranteed 100% of their pay for those six weeks of parental leave. By having employers supplement paid family leave benefits, this legislation will ensure that all workers, not just high wage earners, can bond with a new child without facing severe financial hardship. Equal Rights Advocates is in strong support of this ordinance.
Expanding access to paid family leave will not only increase economic security for San Francisco workers and benefit the local economy. It will also help to close the persistent wage gap that is harming women and families. Legal Director Jennifer Reisch explained:
“By expanding access to fully paid parental leave, San Francisco will be taking an important step toward ensuring equal opportunity and fair pay for women. Because women continue to shoulder the bulk of family care-giving responsibilities, they are more likely to face discrimination, be denied job opportunities, or be pushed out of the workforce entirely when they become parents. Without access to paid leave, women are too often forced to choose between their jobs and caring for their children. Instead of reinforcing the motherhood penalty that contributes to the gender wage gap (which is costing California women more than $39 billion a year), fully paid family leave makes it more likely that women will return to work, return to their previous employer, and return with the same or higher wages.”
Expanding paid family leave is an important component of the Stronger California 2016 campaign, chaired by ERA. You can act now to support the expansion of California’s paid family leave program.
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