Res. No. 311

Resolution calling upon New York City to extend paid family leave benefits to city employees covered by municipal unions

By Council Members Cumbo, Treyger, Powers, Levin, Ayala, Rosenthal, Koslowitz, Kallos, Constantinides and Chin

                     Whereas, On January 7, 2016, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio signed a personnel order to provide paid parental leave to New York City employees who hold non-union or managerial titles; and

                     Whereas, The order provides six weeks of paid leave at 100 percent of salary, and will benefit up to 20,000 employees; and

                     Whereas, Mayor de Blasio’s order has been praised as a major step in bringing New York City in line with other jurisdictions in the United States and abroad; and

                     Whereas, The Mayor’s order does not include New York City employees covered by a municipal union; and

                     Whereas, Each year, many of these New York City workers need time away from work to address major health and family obligations, including serious personal illness, seriously ill family members or the arrival of a child; and

                     Whereas, Currently, the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) of 1993 provides up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for workers whose families are dealing with certain major health or life events, such as a serious medical condition or the arrival of a child; and

                     Whereas, For those who take FMLA leave, the financial consequences of losing one's income for weeks or months in order to care for a family member can be devastating; and

                     Whereas, Most workers must rely on their employers for any paid leave; and

Whereas, A 2011 study by the Center for Economic and Policy Research reported that five years after California implemented a paid family leave program, nearly 89 percent of employers reported that the program had either a "positive effect" or "no noticeable effect" on productivity, roughly 91 percent reported a "positive effect" or "no noticeable effect" on profitability or performance, and more than 95 percent reported either a "positive effect" or "no noticeable effect" on employee turnover and morale; and

Whereas, In that study, businesses with fewer than 100 employees were especially likely to report that paid family leave had not negatively impacted productivity, profitability or performance, or morale; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls upon New York City to extend paid family leave benefits to city employees covered by municipal unions.

MMB

LS # 1593, LS # 5050, LS # 5479 and LS # 5679

4/17/18; 3:38 p.m.