President’s 2018 Budget To Include Paid Family Leave

– ABC News 

The president’s budget will require states to offer paid family leave programs, the Associated Press reports, citing a senior budget official. The official said the budget — set to be released Tuesday — will include a plan to provide six weeks of paid leave to new mothers, fathers and adoptive parents.

 

Why Walmart, Starbucks, and Others Give Some Employees Less Paid Leave

– Fortune

“The people who most need paid family leave are the least likely to have it,” according to a report by nonprofit Paid Leave for the United States (PLUS). The PLUS report singles out Walmart Stores Inc. who provides 10-12 weeks of fully paid leave for birth mothers who are corporate employees, but just 6-8 weeks at partial pay for birth moms who are full-time hourly workers. Blake Jackson, a Walmart spokesperson, calls the company a “leader in retail” for this policy, but that isn’t quite accurate — Ikea, Levi’s, Nordstrom and Apple are among the companies that provide equal leave to both hourly and salaried employees. But Walmart isn’t trailing the pack either.

 

Paid Sick-Leave Laws Are Contagious

– Bloomberg BNA

As an employer, it is only a matter of time before a paid sick-leave law that affects your company takes effect, a panel of payroll professionals said May 18. The popularity of paid sick leave means it is likely the paid sick-leave law trend will continue on the state, local and, possibly, the federal level, said Beth Baerman, communications director for Attendance on Demand Inc.

 

NLRB Counsel Has Significant Authority but Little Time

– Bloomberg BNA

National Labor Relations Board General Counsel Richard Griffin (D) could be a thorn in the side of Republicans who want to undo various Obama-era worker-friendly decisions and policies, but only for a few more months.