top of page

Township paid parental leave policy approved

:

By Dana Casadei


Eligible Bloomfield Township employees will now be able to take up to 120 hours of paid parental leave after the Bloomfield Township Board of Trustees voted unanimously to approve the new policy on Monday, January 13.


“We’re trying to retain employees, but at the same time we’re trying to recruit employees. So we have to be competitive with some of our benefit packages,” said supervisor Mike McCready, who presented this policy to the board. “We aren’t competitive with other municipalities. We’re not competitive within the county, who offer 12 weeks paid leave.”


Multiple board members agreed, and said that the township was way behind the times on this type of paid leave policy. McCready said that when he spoke with Bloomfield Township directors, both they and their staff were shocked and dismayed to learn that the township didn’t already offer some type of paid parental leave to its employees.


Currently, through the Family and Medical Leave of Absence (FMLA), an employee could take a leave of absence but wouldn’t be compensated while gone. Bloomfield Township used to offer a program where one could take a short-term disability, along with up to one week of their own vacation time. In total, employees could get between seven and eight weeks as a birth mother or adoptive parent.


While the birth mother or adoptive parent qualified for leave, there was zero parental leave offered for an additional parent. This will change with the approval of the paid parental leave policy, which will allow an employee to take up to 120 hours of paid leave from the township, along with being able to use one week of their paid vacation time.


This would lead Bloomfield Township employees up to 10-11 weeks for the mother, and at least 120 hours of paid leave for the other parent, and still qualify for short-term disability.


“We have a high standard for our employees here; we need to offer high benefits to retain and recruit them,” said trustee Chris Kolinski. “I think this will match what we already expect out of our employees, and now they can expect this out of us as a board.”


Kolinski mentioned that paid parental leave came up during the township’s compensation and benefits study, and much like when the board addressed the pay discrepancies that study also found, putting this policy in place will be another item the board can tackle right away.


For employees to be potentially eligible for up to 120 hours of paid parental leave they need to be permanent full-time Bloomfield Township employees, who have worked at the township for at least one year, and worked at least 1,250 hours the previous calendar year.


Bloomfield Township policy currently requires employees to deplete their sick and vacation banks down to 40 hours prior to using their short-term disability benefits; eligible employees will be able to use paid parental leave first now. With the passing of this policy, those who use their paid parental leave first will not be required to deplete their sick and vacation banks as they previously would have.


Any approved paid parental leave will run simultaneously with any available FMLA leave for the same qualifying birth or adoption. For FMLA eligible employees the FLMA provides up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave following the birth or adoption of a child.


“I think it’s about time that we are considering this, I think we’ve been way behind on the times,” said trustee Neal Barnett. “This shows that we are a caring community and municipality for our employees. I think this says a lot in a positive way, and I’m very supportive of this.”


Eligibility may begin on the exact date of the birth of the child, or on the exact day when custody is taken through the adoption agreement. Employees may choose to use this after the birth or adoption to coordinate with a spouse or partner, but all paid parental leave must be utilized within 90 days from the date of birth or adoption.


There are some disqualifications for those looking to use the paid parental leave though.


Employees must be the biological parent of the child, or be the legally designed guardian of the newly adopted child; surrogate mothers, sperm donors, or foster parents will not qualify for the paid parental leave; and a voluntary or involuntary custody loss of a newborn will terminate the paid parental leave as of the date physical custody ends.


For those looking to use this paid parental leave there are qualifications to be able to receive it, including a written notice to their department head, human resources and the benefits administrator at least 30 days before they intend to use paid parental leave.


This point of qualification was brought up by trustee Mark Antakli, who noted that sometimes unexpected things came up with the birth or adoption of children, and wanted the policy to clarify that if there’s an emergency or short-term notice that people will still be covered by the paid parental leave policy. His fellow trustees agreed and clerk Martin Brook noted the change when the motion was made.


This paid parental leave policy was implemented immediately upon its approval at the board of trustees meeting.

PayPal ButtonPayPal Button

DOWNTOWN: Unrivaled journalism worthy of reader support

A decade ago we assembled a small but experienced and passionate group of publishing professionals all committed to producing an independent newsmagazine befitting the Birmingham/Bloomfield area that, as we like to say, has long defined the best of Oakland County. 

 

We provide a quality monthly news product unrivaled in this part of Oakland. For most in the local communities, we have arrived at your doorstep at no charge and we would like to keep it that way, so your support is important.

 

Check out our publisher’s letter to the community here.

Sign Up
Register for Downtown's newsletters to receive updates on the latest news and much more!

Thanks for submitting!

Cover_Feb2025.jpg
KathyTomb2024.jpg
RestReportsTomb.gif
BeachumNEW.gif
StdUpToHate.jpg

Downtown Newsmagazine

© 2024 by Downtown Publications, Inc.

Birmingham, Michigan 48009

248.792.6464

  • White Facebook Icon
  • Instagram
  • Threads
bottom of page