HOUSTON – A proposed policy to give city of Houston employees paid parental leave, which will help lesson the stress of new parents, was discussed before a vote will be made on Wednesday.
Ahead of that decision, members of the community spoke out in favor of the issue, including a city employee who gave birth just four months ago. She spoke about her experience and how she had to work just hours after giving birth by taking an in-person meeting in the hospital.
“I had just brought life into this world 12 hours before, but there I was, sharing an update with my council member, on one of the affordable house projects in our district,” Nwamaka Unaka said. “While I used some of my accrued paid time off, I was extremely cautious not to exhaust all of it, I kept reminding myself that I needed to save those hours, for regular wellness appointments for my newborn, in case I needed to see a lactation specialist.”
Under the proposal, eligible employees would receive time off for healthcare appointments and other things related to pregnancy, along with days after birth and wellness appointment leave during the child’s first year. Employees will get a maximum of 160 hours of prenatal leave and 40 hours of infant wellness leave, starting May 14, along with 320 hours of parental leave. Starting September of next year, that number would jump to 480 hours.
“I know because I’ve been in your place, and have had to vote no on an item because the city couldn’t afford it, but in this case, the city simply can not afford not to vote for it,” said Ellen Cohen, former Houston Mayor Pro-Tem.
When it comes to paying for the days, the city said the funds are already added in, since employees salaries are already approved in the budget.
