Paid Leave

Diaper Diva has been eagerly following legislation that would offer paid family leave to care for newborns or sick relatives. The bill was released from a state Senate committee last week and is headed to the full Senate for consideration.

Sen. Stephen Sweeney, the bill's prime sponsor, said he believes the right compromise has been reached to win approval by early March. The modified measure would let employees earn as much as two-thirds of their salaries, up to $524 a week, for six weeks (down from 10 weeks) and has greater protections against fraud. The time would run concurrent with the 12 unpaid weeks of family leave mandated under federal law.

Sweeney, a Gloucester County Democrat, said he anticipates Assembly Speaker Joseph D. Roberts, D-Camden, will help the Assembly version pass through his chamber. Gov. Corzine is expected to sign the bill into law. If so, New Jersey would become the third state in the nation to offer paid leave, behind California and Washington. Ten other states are considering similar legislation, Sweeney said, adding: "The time has come."

Let's keep our fingers crossed.

The measure faces heavy opposition from the business community, which contends the nation is slipping into a recession and this bill would make it even more difficult for employers who are already operating in a negative business climate. They argue small businesses would be hit hardest because, unlike the federal leave law, companies with 50 or fewer employees would not be exempt. (They, conversely, would not have to hold the employee's job until she returns to work, as the federal law mandates.)

Sweeney said the program would be funded through a payroll tax that would cost workers an estimated $33 per year. Anyone who is eligible for unemployment benefits would qualify for this benefit, he noted. The leave would follow the state's Temporary Disability Insurance, which offers up to 10 weeks for a normal pregnancy and up to 26 weeks for a troubled one. Many women don't take advantage of the full benefit, he said, because they can't survive on two-thirds of their pay for that long.

Despite our country's equitable workforce policies, we still don't show enough respect for working women when they have babies and even less for the fathers who want to help care for them.

A recent study that measured working conditions for families worldwide showed 168 countries - out of the 173 countries studied - offer paid leave to women in connection with childbirth. Ninety-eight of those countries give 14 or more weeks of paid leave.

The United States was among four other nations that did not offer paid leave. The others are Lesotho, Liberia, Papua New Guinea and Swaziland. Is that the company we really want to keep?

Other industrialized nations have benefits that working women in the U.S. can't even begin to dream about.

In England, new moms get 52 weeks of maternity leave, regardless of how long they have been on the job. For the first 39 weeks of leave, moms can get 90 percent of their regular pay. For the next 33 weeks, moms get a standard rate of 112.75 pounds ($225.05) per week - or 90 percent of their average weekly pay if that's lower. Their company is not required to pay them for the remaining 13 weeks. During that entire time, however, their jobs are secure. Dads across the pond can take a two-week paternity leave and be paid at the same rate of 112.75 pounds per week, or 90 percent of their average weekly wages, if that is less.

England is now considering a plan to pay for a maternity nurse to help every new mother in her home during the baby's first week of life. Based on the system in the Netherlands, the nurse would help in the home for six hours a day. As well as helping mothers care for baby, the Dutch nurse also aids with the cleaning, laundry and feeding the older children as well as making sure mom's rest isn't interrupted by too many visitors, according to a recent article on the BBC News Web site.

Sweeney, the leader of an ironworkers union, said his reasoning for championing the bill was twofold. For one, too many women head straight back to the office after giving birth because they can't afford to miss 12 paychecks. Secondly, the need for a parent and child to bond is essential in the first weeks of life.

"That's why this is so important," Sweeney said.

For many, the high housing costs and heavy tax burden in this state make the thought of saving money in advance of the baby's arrival wishful thinking.

And what about adoptive parents like myself? We drain our bank accounts to pay for the outrageous costs associated with adoption. Some couple I know have taken out second mortgages or personal loans to meet expenses. There is no savings left, only debt, when we start our families.

As for bonding, adoptive mothers can only begin when the agency places that baby in our hands. We don't get nine months of prep time to form any emotional attachments. It is crucial that we savor those first weeks at home without worrying about how to pay the electric bill.

The study, conducted by The Project on Global Working Families, which is made up of researchers from Harvard and McGill universities, argues that paid leave for childrearing makes sense because it fosters positive emotional development of children, improves the economic condition of families by increasing long-term emmployment, and benefits employers by reducing staff turnover. The logic there is that workers who feel appreciated will be more committed to their company.

My only regret about this bill, if it becomes law, is that I won't be able to take advantage of it. The benefit won't be offered until July 1, 2009. My next baby is expected to arrive long before then.

Oh well. If I could just convince the federal government to double the tax credit for adoptions I just might be able to go back to Texas for a third baby. Then I, too, could get paid to stay home and do nothing but focus on that little child.