Schumer: 'No federal employee should have to choose between caring for their newborn or putting food on the table'
Press release:
U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today (Dec. 8) announced that, following his intense advocacy, Congressional lawmakers are nearing an agreement that would offer 12 weeks of paid parental leave for all federal employees to care for a newborn or adopted child, including the 114,386 workers* throughout New York State, in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
Under current federal law, federal civilian workers are only eligible for three months of unpaid leave, often leaving them in financially precarious or unsustainable positions.
When passed, the bill would secure paid parental leave for all federal employees for the first time, bringing the federal government’s parental leave laws into the 21st century and on par with the vast majority of developed nations around the world, allowing new parents to give the appropriate support, love and care to their newborn children.
“The U.S. is the only industrialized nation that does not have paid parental leave," Senator Schumer said. "It’s high time that we caught up. And as the nation’s largest employer, the federal government offering 12 weeks to its millions of employees across our nation and here in New York, is a step in the right direction.
"From one end of the state to the other, no matter if you are a TSA or customs agent at JFK Airport, working on Fort Drum Army Base, or at Buffalo (or Batavia) VA Medical Center, you deserve time to take care of and support your new loved one and family, without worrying how it might impact your ability to put food on the table.
“That’s why during negotiations for this year’s NDAA, I made securing paid parental leave my very top priority, and fought with everything I had to secure it. I’m proud that my efforts, and the efforts of thousands of others, have helped make paid leave for federal employees a reality. I will not stop fighting until this benefit is provided to all workers nationwide.”
*Below is the breakdown of New York federal employees by region, according to New York Department of Labor:
- NYC: 48,193
- Long Island: 15,679
- Hudson Valley: 11,177
- Western New York: 10,002
- Capital Region: 7,182
- Central New York: 5,239
- Finger Lakes: 5,161
- North Country: 4,978
- Mohawk Valley: 2,828
