Starting in January, Portland city employees will be eligible for six weeks of paid time off after the birth of a child, an adoption or welcoming a foster child.
The new rules apply to both genders and could affect hundreds of city employees who otherwise would have to use unpaid, sick or vacation time.
Commissioner Amanda Fritz, who championed the city's paid sick leave ordinance in 2013, introduced the plan. "Sometimes employers do the right thing just because it's the right thing," she said.
The City Council approved paid parental leave Wednesday nearly two months after Multnomah County passed a similar policy.
With nearly 6,000 employees, the city is one of the largest employers in the metro area. Fritz said she hopes the new policy helps Portland become "an employer of choice," leading to a more diverse and younger workforce. The policy could cost from $413,000 to $512,000 to implement, as some offices will need to pay other employees to work overtime or cover for colleagues on leave.
Despite the new policy, Portland still lags far behind European nations, Fritz said, where paid paternal leave is common.
Commissioner Steve Novick said he was extremely grateful Fritz brought the plan forward. "Parental leave isn't just nice to have," he said, "it's a necessity in a civilized society."
But Novick cautioned that his Bureau of Emergency Communications already struggles to cover for employees who take time off, leading to more overtime costs. He said he can't both implement the new policy and comply with Mayor Charlie Hales' direction to cut 5 percent from bureau budgets.
Portland leaders celebrated the policy as a key first step in joining a growing national movement.
"The research is very clear that parental leave has a positive impact," said Anna Kanwit, Human Resources Bureau director.
Larry Wallack, a Portland State University professor, said six weeks is a good start but that Portland is "still far behind what we should be striving for."
Companies such as Netflix offer up to one year of paid parental leave. King County, Washington, provides 12 weeks.
Portland employees will have to take the leave continuously and only once in a calendar year aside from exceptions approved by human resources officials. They may take the leave anytime within one year of a child's arrival.
In the last fiscal year, 185 city employees took parental leave, according to city documents.
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