The City of Buckeye Policy Manual received a full-scale update at the Oct. 15 general city council meeting. Among the changes is the inclusion of paid parental leave for city employees, making Buckeye one of only two municipalities in the valley to offer 12 weeks of paid leave for its employees.
In a state where paid family medical leave is not required by law, offering this benefit is a decision made through municipal and company policy. According to social science and economic research, it’s also a decision that best supports family health and well-being.
This is the Policy Manual’s first full-scale review and update since 2000. While some changes have been made in the past 24 years, Chief Human Resources Officer Cindy Camarata said it was beyond time for a complete review. The updates will go into effect on Dec. 1, 2024.
“We’re pretty excited about it,” Camarata said. “It’s long overdue.”
Along with the paid parental leave policy, the policy manual also updated the following:
- Salary ranges and classification for all jobs will be reviewed on a regular basis.
- Vacation accruals will be based upon years of service.
- Incoming employees with service time qualified under the Public Safety Personnel Retirement System and Arizona State Retirement System will be recognized. Their prior years of service will be considered when determining benefits.
- Vacation and sick time cash-out policy updates.
TO PAY OR NOT TO PAY?
According to the World Policy Center, the United States is only one of seven countries in the world that does not have a paid leave program. While 13 states have independently implemented paid family and medical leave programs, Arizona is not among them.
The only parental leave program recognized state wide does not provide paid leave. The Family and Medical Leave Act only requires that employers with 50 or more employees and all state, local, and federal employers provide workers with up to 12 work weeks of unpaid time off in a 12-month period. Arizona employers are not required to approve leave requests beyond those 12 weeks. The FMLA covers numerous medical leave situations including childbirth, newborn care, foster care and adoption. During that time off, the employer is required to hold the employee’s position and provide group insurance benefits.
In 2023, Gov. Katie Hobbs announced the Paid Parental Leave pilot program, requiring that all state agencies offer up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave to employees. Many municipalities have followed suit in offering paid parental leave.
Alongside Phoenix, Buckeye is the only municipality in the valley to offer 12 weeks of paid leave.
- Apache Junction: FMLA only
- Avondale: 6 weeks of paid parental leave
- Buckeye: 12 weeks of paid parental leave
- Carefree: FMLA only
- Cave Creek: FMLA only
- Fountain Hills: FMLA only
- Gilbert: 4 weeks of paid parental leave
- Glendale: FMLA only
- Goodyear: 4 weeks of paid parental leave
- Mesa: 4 weeks of paid parental leave
- Paradise Valley: FMLA only
- Peoria: No paid parental leave program listed in online benefits information. Calls not returned by press time.
- Phoenix: 12 weeks of paid parental leave
- Queen Creek: 4 weeks of paid parental leave
- Scottsdale: 4 weeks of paid parental leave
- Surprise: FMLA only
- Tempe: 4 weeks of paid supplemental family medical leave for employees on FMLA leave
- Tolleson: 4 weeks of paid parental leave
EVERYONE ELSE
For those not employed by the state or at a municipality or company that has independently implemented paid leave policies, accessing parental time off can be either a great difficulty or, in some cases, impossible.
According to the Arizona Center for Economic Progress, approximately 62% of Arizona residents with FMLA access are not able to take unpaid leave. If the employee works for a company with less than 50 employees, if they haven’t been at the company for at least one year, if they haven’t worked 1,250 hours during the past year, they cannot access the benefits. And, even if they do meet all the qualifications, financial constraints may still prevent them from taking time off for parental leave.
According to a study by the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) utilizing the most recent 2020 data from the US DOL Worker Pain Leave Usage Simulation model, 35.3% of workers in Arizona take leave without pay. Women of color are disproportionately impacted in states like Arizona where paid leave is not offered, the study found, with Native American, Black and Latina women being less likely to take leave or to be force to take unpaid leave. According to the Arizona Center for Economic Progress, 80% of Black and 62% of Latinx workers reported financial hardship if taking unpaid leave. Additionally, 65% of women and 59% of men report being unable to afford unpaid leave.
The Arizona Center for Economic Progress cited lack of paid leave as a primary reason why employees ages 20-54 left their job. This has an economic impact on businesses, with the cost of replacing an employee often being 21% of that employee’s salary. Research has further suggested that offering paid leave improves productivity, employee morale and profitability of up to 6.8% per full-time employee.
The CLASP study additionally suggested that states which offered paid parental leave reduced mothers’ labor market detachment by 20% in the first year after childbirth. It also identified numerous bodies of research literature demonstrating how paid medical leave can support healthy children and families.
“Research suggests that paid leave supports improved health outcomes, including improved infant and toddler development, better maternal mental and physical health, increased breastfeeding rates, reduced infant mortality, and increased ability to afford and complete cancer treatments,” reads the CLASP study. “Paid leave also supports household economic security following the birth of a child and makes it more likely that individuals with serious health conditions, like cancer, can remain in the workforce.”
According to the Arizona Center for Economic Progress, unpaid leave reduces parental stress and can contribute to a reduction in adverse childhood experiences. According to 2024 data from the KidsCount Data Book, 43% of children in Arizona have gone through one or more adverse childhood experiences, compared to a 40% national average.
For this reason the Children’s Action Alliance released a statement yesterday supporting making paid family medical leave a federal policy.
“Hundreds of thousands of Arizonans need paid leave, but there is no established state paid family and medical leave program. Paid leave can be used to care for a new child, to heal from a serious illness, or to care for a loved one facing health challenges,” reads the statement. “When paid leave is not available, Arizonans often take an economic loss to care for themselves or a child or family member.”
