Paid leave proposal bogs down Spitzer plan would allow up to $170 for 12 weeks to aid families
Joseph Spector Staff writer
(June 6, 2007) — Despite a push by Gov. Eliot Spitzer and advocacy groups to offer workers in New York paid leave to care for newborn children or ill family members, a key senator said Tuesday the measure likely won't be approved this year.
Spitzer and workers rights groups from around the state are eager to get approval for the plan, which would allow employees to take up to 12 weeks a year and receive a maximum of $170 a week while they are off.
But Senate Labor Committee Chairman George Maziarz, R-Newfane, Niagara County, said it's doubtful the proposal will get approval by the Republican-controlled Senate before the session ends, likely on June 21.
Maziarz held a hearing on the plan Tuesday but said competing legislation by the governor and the Legislature may be difficult to reconcile in a few weeks.
"There are a lot of negotiations that have to be done for this yet," Maziarz said outside the hearing. "I don't see anything coming out this year."
The proposal is one of several on which Spitzer is seeking consensus as he tries to push his agenda in the first legislative session of his administration.
Spitzer quietly introduced the family leave plan last month. The measure would expand the federal Family and Medical Leave Act, which allows workers to take off 12 weeks unpaid after a birth, an adoption or to care for an ill family member.
The governor and supporters of the legislation say New York should join California and Washington state, which already have similar laws, in providing compensation to workers while they are out. To fund the program, New York workers would pay 45 cents a week in payroll tax — in addition to the 60 cents they currently pay for the state's temporary disability insurance program.
By putting the cost of the paid leave on workers, the plan seeks to appease business groups, which remain opposed.
Thomas Minnick, vice president of human resources for the state's Business Council, testified that the proposal would be another burden on businesses, which he suggested would have to pay overtime or hire new workers to cover for people while they are out.
With the Democratic-controlled Assembly apparently supporting the plan, aides to the Democratic governor said they are hopeful the law could be put on the books this session, saying it may be discussed during a legislative leaders meeting today.
"It's a big priority to us," said Spitzer spokeswoman Christine Anderson. "It's all part of a larger families agenda to help those who need to be with their families at important times."
Spitzer's goal is to cover public and private-sector workers through the program, but some unions questioned how it would affect collective bargaining agreements.
Advocates said the law would boost morale among workers and hopefully keep young mothers in the work force. But they said the maximum of $170 a week would be low because it is tied to the maximum allowed under temporary disability insurance.
California, for example, provides a family leave benefit up to $882 a week for six weeks, said Donna Dolan, chairwoman of the New York State Paid Family Leave Coalition.
Regarding the June 2 article: I was a Schenectady County employee for 35 years. In 2006 I lost many days and months of work, due to a mother who had several illnesses and required my care since I am the sole caregiver. She was unable to attend day care because you cannot send someone when they are ill. I was terminated by the county Department of Social Services because they did not accept over 40 medical letters from my mother’s doctors. They informed me that I had abandoned my job. I phoned the office every single day; they stated they never received my calls on their voice mails (you know they do not answer their phone calls, due to staff shortages). My story seems to fall into the Family Leave Bill that they are considering to try to pay employees for time lost. I lost three months’ work without any pay, not to mention the harassing letters I received. Seems to me that Social Services would be more understanding since they are supposed to help people. I was told to put my mother away until it was time to retire; that is my choice, not theirs. I hope the legislators give this consideration. In the long run, I am suffering without any income. The most important person who is suffering, is my mother, without my income. I hope no one has to suffer the way I am. I have helped many people throughout the years, and no one has helped me. CAROL DEFELICE Schenectady
I read with dismay stories on Gov. Spitzer’s anti-business moves regarding paid family leave. Whose pocket does he think the money is to come from? Ours. The taxpayers. We need to support the interests of businesses to locate and stay in New York, not take more actions that will drive them away. Wake up, folks! GERARD F. HAVASY Scotia
Help New York families First published: Sunday, June 17, 2007
Most Capitol observers agree that the Legislature is not likely to take up family paid leave legislation until next year. That would be a mistake. Governor Spitzer has outlined a sensible, affordable plan to help family members cope with a newborn or care for an ill family member. The longer the issue is put off, the greater the chances that it will fall victim to legislative gridlock. By passing Mr. Spitzer's proposal, lawmakers would put New York state at the forefront of enlightened family policy. To date, only California and Washington have such laws, although proposed paid family leave laws have been introduced in 27 state legislatures, including Massachusetts and New Jersey.
While workers today are entitled to unpaid leave under federal law, that presents many family members with a difficult choice between forgoing a paycheck to provide care at home, or paying someone else to do so in their place while they are at work.
The Spitzer bill recognizes that this dilemma is ever more prevalent in today's economy, when so many husbands and wives have to work outside the home, and when parents are living longer and are likely to depend on their children for care in their later years. Under New York's disability law, workers can receive six to eight weeks of disability benefits up to $170 a week. Mr. Spitzer's proposal simply builds on that existing law, which has not proven overly burdensome to employers. Under the governor's plan, workers would be entitled to up to 12 weeks of paid leave, with a maximum weekly benefit of $170. The cost would be borne by employees through a payroll deduction, estimated at 45 cents per week. Businesses with 50 or fewer employees would be exempt.
New York shouldn't deny workers a quality-of-life benefit for the sake of 45 cents.
Just another good old die hard liberal democrat, on it's way to socialism, government program.
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
Family Leave Act eases institutional care burden First published: Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Reader Linda Shell (letter, June 12) is woefully confused if she believes that the Family Leave Act is for people to merely be home for their children.
The act provides for paid leave to care for family members, not to be a stay-at-home mom, but to minister to a seriously ill or dying family member, after exhausting existing paid leave. Without family caregivers available to assume most of the cost of caring for their loved ones, we will be left with the greater burden of institutional care.
I hope her children don't have to put her in an institution some day because they can't afford to lose their jobs to care for her. By then it will be too late for her to realize her mistake.
Family leave bill would hurt small businesses First published: Saturday, June 30, 2007
Your June 17 editorial ("Help New York families") urging the state Legislature to require employers to offer paid family leave using New York's disability system understates the bill's impact on business owners.
The family leave proposals Albany is considering do not exempt small businesses, the very segment of the business community that is typically hardest hit by Albany's mandates. Because the mandate would be built on the state's existing disability system, it would affect all employers, regardless of size.
What's more, the fact that employees would pay for the insurance coverage overlooks other burdens that this bill would impose on employers.
By paying workers who take extended time off from the job for almost any sort of family concern, this mandate would impose significant costs in the form of payments for replacement workers, including overtime. It would disrupt work schedules and leave difficult gaps in staffing for small and large companies.
It's already hard enough to do business and provide jobs in New York. Our leaders in Albany should not make it harder still.
KENNETH ADAMS President and CEO The Business Council of New York State Inc. Albany
Family leave expansion gets support Senate, House consider bills to increase time off, but employers resistant
By ROB HOTAKAINEN McClatchy First published: Monday, August 13, 2007
WASHINGTON -- Despite resistance from business groups, the Democratic-led Congress appears to be growing sympathetic to the idea of providing workers with more time off to tend to their families. Before leaving Washington for its August recess, the Senate approved a plan that would allow the relatives of wounded soldiers to take up to 26 weeks of unpaid leave to care for them. If approved by the full Congress, it would mark the first expansion of the landmark Family and Medical Leave Act since it took effect in August 1993.
That's just for starters. A Senate bill would provide up to eight weeks of paid leave for workers who need time off for the birth or adoption of children. More narrowly crafted bills pending in the House of Representatives and the Senate would provide eight weeks of paid parental leave for federal workers. Another Senate bill would require employers who have 15 or more workers to provide each of them with at least seven paid sick days to address their medical needs or the needs of their families.
Supporters say it's time to give struggling employees a break by expanding the law that allows them to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave if they're ill or must care for sick children or other family members. The measure applies to employers with 50 or more workers.
Opponents say that many employees are misusing the law and that expanding it would be too costly and disruptive to work schedules.
The issue is reverberating in the 2008 presidential race, with Democratic Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, Barack Obama of Illinois rs of their unscheduled leave after they'd been absent.
In particular, companies complained that the law allows workers to wait until two days after absences to advise their employers of the need to take leave, making it hard for them to manage their operations. The June Labor report says disputes over such unscheduled leaves have become "the single most serious area of friction" between workers and their employers.
As the debate heats up, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce says that one of its top priorities this year will be to oppose efforts to broaden the law or to force companies to provide paid sick leave. The chamber says the law has led to "widespread employer confusion and employee abuse."
Act detailsKey points of the Family and Medical Leave Act: Employees are entitled to 12 weeks of leave for certain family and medical reasons during a 12-month period. Employees are eligible if they have worked for their employers for at least 12 months, have worked for at least 1,250 hours over the previous 12 months and work at locations where at least 50 employees are employed by the employers within 75 miles. The law requires only unpaid leave. However, it permits an employee to elect, or the employer to require the employee, to use accrued paid leave, such as vacation or sick leave, for some or all of the leave period. Pregnancy disability leave or maternity leave for the birth of a child would be considered qualifying leave for a serious health condition and may be counted in the 12 weeks of leave. An employee's spouse, children and parents are immediate family members for purposes of the law. The term "parent" doesn't include a parent "in-law." The terms son or daughter don't include individuals 18 or older unless they're "incapable of self-care" because of mental or physical disability. You don't have to provide medical records to your employer. The employer may, however, request that, for any leave taken because of a serious health condition, you provide medical certification confirming that a serious health condition exists. Employers with established policies regarding outside employment while on paid or unpaid leave may uniformly apply those policies to employees on leave. Otherwise, the employer may not restrict your activities.
Here is anothe case of government involvment in managing our time and $$......where is the family, friends, church network.....leave the beaurocracy out of it.......BIG MISTAKE HERE......with a very slippery slope......those illegal immigrants look better and better to fill those unproductive voids while we are on our leave.......socialism is just around the corner here........
Here, they are bandstanding on the backs of our soldiers.......yet, they claim the VA is the best possible care for our soldiers......hhhhmmmm
government run health care-----not such a good example if you ask me.........
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
The family leave bill will be just as fraudulent as medicaid! It will just be another government buracracy , taxpaying beast. More public sector jobs. Socialism at it's best people!
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
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