CITY WILL NOW ALLOW MALE EMPLOYEES TO TAKE THE SAME PARENTAL LEAVE AS WOMEN DO
Because the City of Tampa (Florida) apparently didn’t think it needed to give its male employees the same amount of parental leave that women received, the United States Justice Department of Justice intervened. The DOJ was of the view that such a policy violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 – which “prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, national origin, religion and sex, including pregnancy policies, and prohibits retaliation against employees for opposing discriminatory employment practices.”
In late December, the agency announced that it had reached a settlement with Tampa, wherein the municipality will modify its employment related policies and pay the impacted individuals some $300,000.
In a written statement, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division noted that “Providing paid parental leave to employees is a significant benefit that many families rely on so that they can take care of their children …. This agreement sends a clear message that in providing paid or unpaid parental leave, employers must guarantee that those benefits are provided without reliance on presumptions about which parent can be the primary caregiver. The Justice Department is steadfast in its commitment to enforce federal civil rights laws and ensure that employers provide all employees leave benefits without discrimination.”
Was Tampa being childish there?
# # #
CONSENT ORDER WITH TAMPA (PROPOSED)