We want to take this moment to give a big shout-out to San Francisco. Last week, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors came to a unanimous vote and became the first city in the U.S. to offer six weeks of fully-paid parental leave to all parents including those who adopt and same-sex couples.
Can we get a hell yeah?
The state of California has offered 55% of pay for six weeks but let’s face it; having to choose between taking home half of your salary and being at home with a new child is not an easy decision for most parents to make. The new ordinance takes effect on January 1, 2017 for companies with 50 or more employees and 2018 for those with 20 or more and employees must have worked for a company for a minimum of 180 days (six months) whereby employers will pay the extra 45% allowing new parents to and children to adjust to their new life together and engage in the essential bonding process.
Though the law will surely require some reworking in the infrastructure of companies and have specific impacts on start-ups, we think this is a big, essential step in the right direction. We hope that soon the rest of our nation will follow the lead of San Francisco – and the rest of the world – and mandate paid leave for new parents.
What do you think about San Francisco’s decision for fully-paid parental leave?
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