Governor Hochul Announces Initiative To Offer Fully Paid Parental Leave To New York State Employees

[TTL News 319]

Governor Kathy Hochul today launched a nation-leading initiative to offer fully paid parental leave benefits to New York State employees. The Governor announced in a policy bulletin that more than 10,000 unrepresented State employees will be eligible to receive 12 weeks of fully paid leave to use for bonding with a newborn, fostered, or adopted child. The majority of employees will be able to take leave starting today.

“The dedicated New Yorkers who keep our state moving should not be forced to choose between a paycheck and caring for their child, and this policy will establish New York State as a model for helping working families,” Governor Hochul said. “My administration is committed to giving our public servants the support they need because it's not only good for their families, it's good policy.”

Despite the well-documented positive benefits of paid parental leave to maternal and infant health, as well as family economic security and workforce retention, the United States is the only developed country in the world without a national paid parental leave policy. New parents and caregivers depend on a patchwork of various federal, state, and local leave policies, in addition to any employer-sponsored benefits.

Governor Hochul first announced this initiative as part of her 2023 State of the State. The Office of Employee Relations (OER) and the Department of Civil Service have since worked to establish the program and make it available for unrepresented State workers. Under the policy issued today, all unrepresented executive branch employees who work full-time or who work at least 50 percent part-time are eligible for this benefit, with eligibility beginning on their first day of service. OER will continue to engage State unions on extending this benefit to their employees through collective bargaining.

[Ann 273]

How will this be funded?  It should be through payroll deductions not at taxpayers expense.

[MsKreed 1,204]

[Chris 2,238]

Probably from the FMLA payroll deductions that have already been coming out of paychecks. I’m pretty sure they weren’t exempt from that. 

[MsKreed 1,204]

 

3 hours ago, Elmira Telegram said:

more than 10,000 unrepresented State employees will be eligible to receive 12 weeks of fully paid leave

Those of us who are full time union are permitted to take the federally allowable 12 weeks FMLA, but have to use earned time (sick, vacation, personal etc) that we've accrued; if someone doesn't have that time available, they get the time unpaid. 

I'm not clear on what state employees are "unrepresented"?  I was under the impression that even seasonal labor for Parks or DOT, etc are union employee...I know their (prorated) time is vested into the pension system.  

32 minutes ago, Chris said:

Probably from the FMLA payroll deductions that have already been coming out of paychecks. I’m pretty sure they weren’t exempt from that. 

I've never had an FMLA line deducted from my state paycheck. Or previous private employers that I recall,  like with the state, we were allowed to take the time off but pay was only happening if we had paid leave available to use. 

[Chris 2,238]

2 hours ago, MsKreed said:

I've never had an FMLA line deducted from my state paycheck.

There was something passed a few years ago that was a deduction to fund FMLA in New York State. I'll have to crack open today's pay stub and see what it's listed as.

 

[KarenK 384]

2 hours ago, MsKreed said:

 

Those of us who are full time union are permitted to take the federally allowable 12 weeks FMLA, but have to use earned time (sick, vacation, personal etc) that we've accrued; if someone doesn't have that time available, they get the time unpaid. 

I'm not clear on what state employees are "unrepresented"?  I was under the impression that even seasonal labor for Parks or DOT, etc are union employee...I know their (prorated) time is vested into the pension system.  

I've never had an FMLA line deducted from my state paycheck. Or previous private employers that I recall,  like with the state, we were allowed to take the time off but pay was only happening if we had paid leave available to use. 

It shows up on my stub as NY PFL.  

FMLA allows the time off for "approved" family need reasons- new baby, sick parent and you are a caretaker etc but it's not paid.  It simply allows you the time without being penalized by your employer for any reason.  When my mom was in the hospital my sister filed for it because she was the one that primarily helped them.  She didn't have to use PTO or sick time (which we don't get anyway) but she didn't get paid.    

NY PFL requires the employer to pay you for the time you need to take off. I'm sure there are limits, but never looked into that closely.

I know when it first came out a few years ago we got tons of calls for employers trying to add it to their work comp and it has nothing to do with that.  Reason I had to research it really. The NY disability carrier takes care of it.

[MsKreed 1,204]

44 minutes ago, KarenK said:

FMLA allows the time off for "approved" family need reasons- new baby, sick parent and you are a caretaker etc but it's not paid.  It simply allows you the time without being penalized by your employer for any reason.  When my mom was in the hospital my sister filed for it because she was the one that primarily helped them.  She didn't have to use PTO or sick time (which we don't get anyway) but she didn't get paid.    

This is the only option I've ever been aware of.....if you have paid time available you can use it, or take the time off unpaid if you don't have (or choose not to use) vacation, sick, etc.

 

47 minutes ago, KarenK said:

It shows up on my stub as NY PFL.  

46 minutes ago, KarenK said:

NY PFL requires the employer to pay you for the time you need to take off. I'm sure there are limits, but never looked into that closely.

Not on mine. I have my Fed/state withholding, SS/Medicaid, before tax health, and after tax union dues......no PFL as of today's stub. 🤷‍♂️

[Chris 2,238]

Maybe you would have been one of the folks to benefit from this then? I’d only hope that they’d be sure to start taking the deductions like they are from everyone else.

Not that you have to worry about being in the payroll after, what, today? 😉

[MsKreed 1,204]

9 minutes ago, Chris said:

Maybe you would have been one of the folks to benefit from this then? I’d only hope that they’d be sure to start taking the deductions like they are from everyone else.

But it supposedly only applies to "10,000 unrepresented State employees"....There are 10's of thousands more who have union representation. Weird. 

 

10 minutes ago, Chris said:

Not that you have to worry about being in the payroll after, what, today? 😉

That is correct 😃