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What I've Been Reading This Week


I came across several articles in regard to parental leave this week.  Although I am not basing this post entirely on the topic, I wanted to lead things off with a few articles that I came across.  

As always, below are a couple articles that caught my eye this week.


IKEA To Expand Parental Leave For its Workers

As Claire Zillman over at Fortune writes, effective January 1, IKEA will offer up to four months of paid parental leave for nearly 14,000 salary and hourly workers in the U.S.  According to IKEA, this was done in an effort to attract workers to the company by way of offering a rather generous paid time off for birth, adoptive, and foster parents.  This is certainly one of the more expansive policies I have seen in recent memory.  The question is whether other companies will follow suit?  It would not surprise me if we see a few others follow suit, sooner rather than later.


D.C. Mayor Wants Changes to Family Leave Plan Before She Will Approve It

Earlier this week, a D.C. Council committee voted 11 - 2 to approve a sweeping family leave plan that would require D.C. employers to provide eight weeks of paid leave for the birth or adoption of a child and six weeks of paid leave to care for a sick relative.  The legislation, to be paid via a .62 percent payroll tax on employers has gotten the attention of D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser who has expressed concern over the impact that tax could have on small business owners.  As noted in the WTOP article, a vote by the full D.C. Council is to occur within the next few weeks before the bill would go before the Mayor for final approval.  Stay tuned.


Critical Commentary On the Injunction Blocking Implementation of the New Overtime Regulation

Readers should recall an update I posted a week or so in regard to the new overtime regulation authorized by the Obama administration.  A federal judge in Texas issued a nationwide injunction to block the implementation of that regulation (and possibly killing it entirely as the incoming Trump administration will likely find a way to permanently end it if it does not get resolved in court).  Vox published an article that was rather critical of the injunction.  I highlight this article not because I necessarily agree or disagree with the reasoning, but instead to point readers to an insightful article that breaks down the actual 'cost' this injunction will have on hourly employees who would have benefited from the new overtime regulation.  Well worth a read, regardless of your position on the overtime regulation or injunction.

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