Manage Your Life
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
NJ to offer paid family leave. Where does your state stand?
editor
So now I'm
really proud to be a Jersey girl because
New Jersey became the third state to approve paid family leave for employees who need to take time off to care for a baby or family member. As I noted in this
earlier post as the state legislature moved closer to passing the bill, employees will be able to take up to six weeks of leave to care for a family member without forgoing all of their pay or losing their jobs.
Workers who qualify will be able to get two-thirds of their pay up to $524 a week for no more than six weeks -- an amount that could make the difference between being able to pay the bills and financial ruin when a health emergency strikes. It took 12 years to pass this bill, despite the fact that the paid leave will be funded by individual employee payroll deductions of about 64 cents a week. I'm in. And despite the fact that long-running fears that employees would abuse the system and ruin would befall the companies that must approve their leave never came to pass in California, which led the nation in paid leave.
Washington is the third state that offers paid leave. To find out where your state stands on paid leave, check out this
paid leave roundup on the California Paid Family Leave site. Would paid leave have made a big difference at a pivotal point in your life, past or present?
Related: paid leave, family leave
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Posted by bellasmom06 Wed Apr 9, 2008 3:53am PDT
hi, what is the difference between this Act and the Family, Medical Leave that Bill Clinton signed? Beside one is State, other Federal?
Can a person get both I wonder?
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Posted by Dory Devlin, Shine staff Wed Apr 9, 2008 8:33am PDT
The federal Family and Leave Act ensures 12 weeks of unpaid leave for most employees for the care of a family members. States often have their own laws that provide employees with the right to take unpaid leave, but the federal law was passed in 1993 to extend the right to employees in every state. The federal law, however, does not require employers to pay employees on family leave. Three states now do: California, Washington, and New Jersey.
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Posted by Figaro Wed Apr 9, 2008 8:46am PDT
Sadly, this probably applies only to full time, permanent employees. Those stuck in part time limbo will never benefit. Needless to say more companies are hiring more people part time rather than fewer full time to avoid giving benefits and no one is doing anything about that.
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Posted by ME Thu Apr 10, 2008 11:08am PDT
I think this is another nail in the coffin of small business. I have had small children and sick parents too so I understand, but asking your company to shoulder the bill of another employee who is not producing can kill a small business.
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