Monday, April 07, 2008
TRENTON, N.J. —
New Jersey moved Monday to become the third state to require companies to offer six weeks of paid leave to workers wishing to care for a new child or sick relative.The state Senate voted 21-15 to approve the bill that would offer up to six weeks paid leave. The Assembly approved the Democratic plan last month and Democratic Gov. Jon S. Corzine said he'll sign it soon.
"People are served well by having their families near them and supportive of them in times of great stress," said Corzine, noting that his children helped him recover from a near-fatal car accident a year ago.
Under the plan, which is backed heavily by organized labor and opposed by Republicans and business groups, parents could take paid leave anytime in the first year after a child's birth or adoption.
Workers would be allowed to take paid leave to care for a sick relative receiving inpatient care in a medical care facility or under continuing supervision from a health care provider. A health provider could also certify a sick relative needs help at home.
The program would be paid for through a payroll deduction that legislative officials estimate would cost workers $33 per year. Workers who take leave would get two-thirds of their salary, up to $524 per week, with an estimated average weekly benefit of $415.
Opponents liken the payroll deduction to a tax, and they fear it will increase if the program doesn't earn enough money to meet its needs.
"Legislators and the governor seem to think our residents and employers have deep pockets and unlimited resources to fund their bloated bureaucracy, when that is far from the case," said Jim Leonard of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce.
The New Jersey program would involve similar policies to those in California and Washington state. Federal law allows some workers to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave.
California allows workers to take up to six weeks paid leave under a 2004 law. Most who have taken leave in the state have done so to care for a newborn, and more women have taken it than men.
Washington state has approved allowing workers to take five weeks paid leave, but lawmakers haven't decided how to pay for the program.
Senate Majority Leader Stephen Sweeney, the bill's leading backer, recalled how his daughter spent 75 days in intensive care after she was born four months premature.
"My boss understood and allowed me to take off the time I needed," said Sweeney, a Democrat. "But I can't imagine having to choose between spending time with my daughter, who was clinging to life, and going to work to put food on the table for my wife and then-four-year-old son."
The state estimates 38,000 workers annually would take paid leave. New Jersey has 4.1 million workers.
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