| Gov. Elliot Spitzer is touting new legislation on the table in New York that would follow the lead of California and Washington in offering paid leave to new mothers and workers caring for sick family members.
 According to the New York Times,
Under the plan — which would make New York one of three states to provide paid family leave — workers could take up to 12 weeks per year off, with a maximum benefit of $170 a week.
Mr. Spitzer’s plan would be more expansive than the paid leave in Washington State, which is limited to caring for newborns and newly adopted children, and in California, which covers workers caring for a seriously ill child, parent, spouse or domestic partner. Mr. Spitzer’s plan would also cover workers who take off to care for grandchildren, foster parents and parents-in-law.
To allay employers’ concerns about the plan’s cost, Mr. Spitzer is proposing that the leave be paid by workers rather than by employers, with 45 cents a week deducted from every worker’s paycheck.
I think Mr. Spitzer is going to face some issues with the worker-paid part of this. Perhaps if it was evenly split between workers and employers, that would be more fair. Yes, workers benefit, but should every worker have to pay into something that only a small percentage will use?
I’m very encouraged to see yet another state take a step towards more family-friendly options for workers.  FMLA was a great step forward, but the fact that it is unpaid makes it an unusable option for the majority of workers. Even the small $170/week allowance under the New York plan will make a huge difference as people struggle to provide essential care to a newborn or sick family member while still needing to pay their bills and keep their houses. Go New York!
