FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 05, 2019
March 05, 2019
Contact:
Tim Kauffman
202-639-6405/202-374-6491
[email protected]
AFGE Applauds Bill to Provide Paid Family Leave to Federal Workers
Categories:
Workers' Rights, AFGE National President
Outdated federal policy forces employees to choose between paycheck and family, union says
WASHINGTON – Today, American Federation of Government Employees National President J. David Cox Sr. issued the following statement in response to the introduction of the Federal Employee Paid Leave Act:
“Federal employees currently receive no paid time off for the birth, adoption, or foster placement of a child, or to address other family medical emergencies. They must use their own leave, and currently federal workers can carry over no more than 30 days of annual leave – hardly enough time to bond with a newly arrived child or care for a seriously ill family member.
“The federal government has reimbursed federal contractors and grant recipients for the cost of providing paid family leave to their workers, and it’s time for the government to extend this benefit to its own employees.
“The Federal Employee Paid Leave Act recognizes both the value of federal employees and their families and the need for the federal government to present a positive example for private-sector employers. The bill would provide all federal employees with 12 weeks of paid leave for reasons covered by the Family Medical Leave Act – including the birth, adoption, or fostering of a new child, care for close family members, serious employee health conditions, and for circumstances that arise when the employee or a family member is detailed for covered duty in the armed forces.
"Employees would not need to exhaust their sick and annual leave before using this benefit. Thank you to House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland, Rep. Carolyn Maloney of New York, Rep. Don Beyer of Virginia, and Rep. Jennifer Wexton of Virginia for introducing and cosponsoring this important bill."
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