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U.S. Master™ Wage-Hour Guide, 2007 Edition
Presents a first approach to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), summarizing
the basic legislation, demonstrating how the rules apply to particular
employment situations, and exploring practical aspects of employment arrangements
in light of the federal wage and hour law.
A new fact sheet released by the Institute for Women's Policy Research (IWPR) reports that nearly one-quarter (24 percent) of the best employers for working mothers provide four or fewer weeks of paid maternity leave, and half (52 percent) provide six weeks or less. Nearly half of the best companies fail to provide any paid leave for paternity or adoption. While more than one-quarter of the best companies (28 percent) provide nine or more weeks of paid maternity leave, many of the winners' paid parental leave policies fall far short of families' needs. IWPR's analysis is based on data provided by Working Mother Media, publisher of Working Mother, regarding the 2006 list of Working Mother 100 Best Companies.
"Labor Day is a good time to take stock of how employers treat working parents. It appears this Labor Day, as in the past, mothers are 'laboring' to birth the next generation without pay," said Dr. Heidi Hartmann, president of IWPR. "Most workplaces are falling short on a basic work/life benefit: paid parental leave."
Dr. Martha Burk, Director of the Corporate Accountability Project of the National Council of Women's Organizations, said, "It is very disappointing that the majority of companies, even those lauded as exemplary, are offering such paltry maternity benefits. Since many working women depend on ratings of the best companies, I would support Working Mother setting a higher bar. Companies should make 'family friendly' mean something more than a public relations slogan."
The IWPR Fact Sheet, "Maternity Leave in the United States," reviews research showing that paid leave after childbirth is beneficial both to newborns and their mothers. For example, newborns of mothers who return to work early have decreased access to follow-up care, lower rates of immunization and decreased breastfeeding by four and one-half weeks on average. Mothers with paid leave are able to take more time off than mothers with unpaid leave; research shows this extra time improves their own health as well as that of their babies.
According to U.S. Department of Labor data also summarized in the Fact Sheet, almost none of the lowest earning workers in the United States (those earning less than $15 per hour) have paid family leave: merely five percent. The highest share with paid family leave, 14 percent, is enjoyed by managers, professionals, and those in related occupations, usually among the highest paid workers. Even the federal government, usually considered a model employer, does not provide paid maternity or paternity leave; rather, workers can use any paid sick days or vacation they may have, or take unpaid time off.
"Policy makers and activists at the local, state, and national levels are working to improve benefits for working parents," said Dr. Barbara Gault, vice president and director of research at IWPR. Two bipartisan bills (S 1681 and HR 3158) recently introduced in the U.S. Congress would provide paid leave. One provides family leave insurance benefits of partial wage replacement for up to eight weeks to new parents or those caring for seriously ill family members (eligibility is similar to that under the 1993 Family and Medical Leave Act, which currently ensures unpaid leave to more than half of American workers). The other would provide federal employees with up to eight weeks of paid parental leave. "California already has up to six weeks of partially paid family care leave for all workers, Washington State will have a program on-line by 2009, and many other states and localities are looking at new legislation," said Dr. Gault.
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