Maternity leave for men gets approval

Dads on maternity leave? McMinnville elected officials have changed the employee maternity leave policy to include men.

Although still called maternity leave, employees who have been employed by the city for at least 12 consecutive months as a full-time employee may take up to four months off for adoption, pregnancy, childbirth and nursing the infant, where applicable.

Employees taking leave must give three months advance notice to the city including departure date, length of leave and intention on returning. The leave can be with or without pay at the discretion of the city.

According to officials, the change is keeping up with the national trend which allows men the same leave from work as women.

On May 27, 2005, the Tennessee Maternity Leave Act (TMLA) Expanded to include men and adoption. The law covers employers that have 100 full-time employees at a job site or location. Both men and women are allowed four months of unpaid maternity leave.

In the Family & Medical Leave Act (FMLA) passed in 1993, men and women are allowed to take 12 weeks of job-protected family leave after the birth of a child as well as adoption or foster care.

To fall under this law, an employer must employ 50 or more employees for each working day during each of 20 or more calendar workweeks in the current or preceding calendar year, while employees must be employed by employer for at least 12 months and employed for at least 1,250 hours of service during the 12-month period immediately preceding the commencement of the leave.

Officials passed this change along with other changes including tobacco use, sick leave, and adding Columbus Day as a holiday for employees.