Council Offers Broad Policy of Family Leaves

The Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday gave tentative approval to a four-month family-leave policy for 4,000 city clerical employees that was characterized by city negotiators and union officials as the broadest and most flexible leave policy adopted by a government agency in the United States.

While provisions making it easier for employees to take time off to care for newborn children or sick relatives are being adopted with increasing frequency by large corporations, union officials say there are fewer examples of such policies of among public agencies.

A memorandum of understanding between the council and Local 3090 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees guarantees city clerical workers up to four months’ leave for childbirth, adoption or family illness, with a pledge that the employee can return to the same job afterward.

Allows Flexibility

State law requires employers to allow up to four months of pregnancy leave, but guarantees only a return to a comparable job.

The new city agreement, once given final council approval as expected, also gives workers the flexibility to use accrued sick days to expand their leaves of absence, a clause intended to aid workers who cannot afford to continue to take unpaid leaves.

Councilwoman Joy Picus, who chairs the council’s Human Resources and Labor Relations Committee and who for years has pushed for more liberal leave policies, said she believes the new flexibility “will improve morale and productivity and reduce absenteeism.”

“Family leave . . . is as necessary as quality, affordable child care and ‘flex time,’ ” Picus said.

Local 3090 negotiators had made an expanded leave policy a key part of contract negotiations that began in early 1988 and lasted so long that clerical workers received no pay increase during the past fiscal year. The new contract, which runs through next June 30, includes a retroactive 4% increase for fiscal 1988, to be paid in a lump sum, and another 4% increase for the current fiscal year.

Seen as Crucial

Betty Ballard, president of Local 3090, said the improved leave policy was crucial to her local because its membership is 83% female. The majority of the women are heads of their households and have small children, she said.

Tom Sisson, head of the city administrative office’s employee relations division, said the city studied 23 other cities, government agencies and private companies that had been touted as having family-leave plans.

“This is more generous as a package than any of the other places,” he said.

The agreement also pays for eye exams and special glasses for the 1,500 clerical workers who operate video display terminals, and pledges to accommodate any pregnant woman who requests reassignment away from VDTs.

While there has been no conclusive evidence linking VDTs and miscarriages or birth defects, reports have surfaced about abnormal “clusters” in the United States and Canada. A federal study of the issue is expected to be released later this year.