SAN FRANCISCO—The San Francisco Board of Supervisors is voting on whether to require six weeks of fully paid leave for new parents — a move that would be a first for any jurisdiction.
The state already allows workers to receive 55 percent of their pay for up to six weeks to bond with a new child. The money comes out of a state insurance program funded by workers. The proposal to be voted on Tuesday would require San Francisco employers with at least 20 employees to make up the rest.
Advocates say the legislation is needed because too many families can’t afford to take leave, but small business owners say the latest proposal is just another mandate in a long list of city mandates— including paid sick leave and health coverage— that unfairly targets independent owners.
Federal law grants workers up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave. California, Rhode Island and New Jersey provide partial pay, with the money coming from employees. Legislators in New York last month approved up to 12 weeks of partial pay.
Some workers have it better. New parents who work for the city and county of San Francisco enjoy 12 weeks of paid leave while private employers such as Facebook and Microsoft are generous with leave as a way to retain workers.
But Supervisor Scott Wiener, who is pushing the legislation, says not everyone works for the city or Facebook. He sees paid leave for full-time and part-time workers as another step toward addressing income inequality, much like the $15 hourly minimum wage legislation that California Gov. Jerry Brown signed Monday and San Francisco approved for workers in 2014.
