Friday, February 10, 2017
Washington, D.C. – Today, the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE) praises U.S. Representatives Barbara Comstock (R-VA) and Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) for introducing the Federal Employee Paid Parental Leave Act of 2017. If passed, the measure will provide federal employees with six weeks of leave in connection with the birth, adoption or foster placement of a child.
“Parents need time to bond with their children and new family arrivals, but few Americans can afford to take unpaid time off to do it,” stated NFFE National President Randy Erwin. “The United States is the last of the developed countries not to require paid parental leave for families, which is counterintuitive given the constant political rhetoric about supporting family values.”
Several private sector employers have taken the lead in providing paid parental leave as a standard benefit of employment, a benefit that attracts a younger workforce and helps to retain valued employees who may otherwise have to leave the workforce to raise young children.
“It’s time for the country to move into the 21st Century on this issue,” Erwin continued. “NFFE looks forward to working with Congresswomen Comstock and Maloney on making paid parental leave a reality for federal workers and their families, and placing the federal government on par with major private sector employers.”