New York just passed the most generous paid family leave law in the country

Emily Crockett · Friday, April 01, 2016, 4:22 pm

New York state just passed the nation's most comprehensive paid family leave policy yet, guaranteeing that all New Yorkers — men and women, employees of small and large firms, and full-time or part-time employees — can take three months of partially paid time off to take care of a new child or a sick family member without losing their jobs.

New York will join California, New Jersey, and Rhode Island in guaranteeing paid family leave. But New York's benefits will be much more generous — offering 12 weeks while California and New Jersey offer six, and Rhode Island just four. (It's still not as generous as Washington, DC's 16-week proposal, which hasn't passed yet but is looking likely to.)

New York's plan uses a popular model in working as insurance, funded by small paycheck contributions (about a dollar per week) from employees. Bosses won't have to chip in, nor will taxpayers.

The policy will also be phased in gradually — starting off at 8 weeks and 50 percent of pay in 2018, and reaching 12 weeks and 67 percent of pay in 2021.

"This is history in the making," said Debra Ness, president of the National Partnership for Women and Families, in a statement. Ness said the policy will benefit 6.4 million New York workers who aren't guaranteed paid time off, and is "a huge and meaningful victory for workers and their families."

Having paid leave is in fact a huge deal for most working families, especially low-income ones. Just 12 percent of American workers have access to paid family leave through their employer, and that access is unequally distributed — 5 percent of workers in the lowest-paid 25 percent of the workforce have it, while 22 percent of the top 10 percent of earners do.

An investigation by In These Times found that one in four working mothers goes back to work within two weeks of childbirth, usually due to financial pressures. But going back to work so soon can have nightmarish consequences for a new mother's physical and mental health. Lacking paid leave also pushes a lot of women out of the job market and discourages fathers from being equal partners in child-rearing.

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http://www.vox.com/2016/4/1/11347192/new-york-paid-family-leave-yuge