CITY OF SEATTLE
ORDINANCE __________________
COUNCIL BILL __________________
title
AN ORDINANCE relating to City employment; amending Sections 4.20.055, 4.26.010, 4.27.010, 4.27.020, and 4.27.100 of the Seattle Municipal Code and adding a new Chapter 4.29 to the Seattle Municipal Code, consisting of Sections 4.29.010, 4.29.020, 4.29.030, 4.29.040, 4.29.050, 4.29.060, 4.29.070, 4.29.080, 4.29.090, and 4.29.100, all to provide additional Paid Parental Leave and a new Paid Family Care Leave benefit to eligible city employees; establishing other conditions of implementing the new leave benefits; and ratifying and confirming certain prior acts.
body
WHEREAS, in 2004, The City of Seattle (City) began its Race and Social Justice Initiative to end institutionalized racism and race-based discrimination, and achieve equity in opportunity for all employees in City government; and
WHEREAS, in 2015, Seattle City Council passed Ordinance 124753, authorizing four weeks of paid parental leave, making Seattle the first municipality in the region to offer such leave and serving as a model to other employers in the region; and
WHEREAS, Ordinance 124753 also required City departments to track employee use and backfill costs of the paid parental leave, which enabled the City to determine if future expansion of the program is appropriate; and
WHEREAS, in 2016, a Workforce Equity Strategic Plan and Action Plan were developed, as requested by the Mayor and City Council, recommending strategies for eliminating barriers to workforce equity; and
WHEREAS, the Strategic Plan's recommended strategies included paid family leave with a paid parental leave component; and
WHEREAS, the City believes that providing paid time off for working parents to care for a new child allows time to create and strengthen bonds between the child and parents and foster stronger families, and contributes to the social and emotional health of children; and
WHEREAS, the City believes that providing paid time off fo...
Click here for full text