U. S. will increase list of federal workers for vacation
2023.02.02 14:16
U. S. will increase list of federal workers for vacation
By Ray Johnson
Budrigannews.com – As he and former President Bill Clinton commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, U.S. President Joe Biden will make a call on Thursday for government agencies to expand federal workers’ access to paid and unpaid leave.
The first law Clinton signed as president ensures that certain workers can take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave without losing their jobs or access to health insurance. Schools, public agencies, and private businesses with at least 49 employees are all subject to the law.
According to Jen Klein, director of the White House Gender Policy Council, Biden is determined to keep pushing on the issue, including through executive action, despite the fact that his legislation to guarantee paid family and medical leave for Americans has been thwarted by Republicans and some Democrats in Congress.
He will issue a presidential memorandum on Thursday urging federal agencies to support federal employees’ access to unpaid leave, including during their first year of employment.
The White House stated that the leave would cover caring for a newborn child, managing family affairs when a family member is called to active duty, dealing with a serious health condition, or grieving the death of a family member.
This month, the Defense Department increased the amount of paid parental leave it offers, allowing both active-duty parents to take 12 weeks off after a child is born, adopted, or placed in long-term foster care.
According to a White House fact sheet, the memo that Biden wrote also tells the Office of Personnel Management to make suggestions for paid and unpaid “safe leave” for federal workers who have been the victims of domestic or dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking.
According to Klein’s statement, “This event is a moment to recognize the difference that the Family and Medical Leave Act has made and continues to make for millions of Americans.”
She stated that the Biden administration would “do whatever we can do by executive action” to advance worker protections while continuing to advocate for paid family and medical leave in national legislation.
The only wealthy nation in which maternity leave is unpaid for women is the United States.
The memo tells agencies to help workers however they see fit, especially in the first year of employment before they can get paid parental leave or family and medical leave.
According to Heather Boushey, a member of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, such adjustments would bolster the economy’s strength. She stated that since the 1970s, increased female workforce participation had contributed approximately 10%, or $2.14 trillion, to the U.S. economy.
According to Boushey, a recent study found that 90 million people in the United States had caregiving responsibilities outside of their full-time jobs, and that the situation was getting worse as the population grew older.
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