Burlington city workers to get paid family leave

BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) - Burlington’s mayor says the Queen City will be the first municipality in Vermont to offer paid family leave to city workers.

A new contract reached with the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Monday includes a paid family leave benefit.

Here how it works:

• As of July 2022, four weeks of fully paid leave will be offered.
• Starting July 2023, there will be four weeks fully paid and four weeks at 60 percent.
• Starting July 2024, there will be four weeks fully paid and eight weeks at 60 percent.

Mayor Miro Weinberger says offering this benefit will help the city retain workers. “In a time of the highest inflation we have seen in decades and considerable economic volatility, I am pleased that we were able to negotiate a fair contract that values our City workers while including important taxpayer protections,” Weinberger said in a statement..

“The fact that this new agreement not only includes this while also addressing current economic stresses is a testament to the cooperative spirit the contract negotiations were conducted in and a mutually recognized desire to improve the lives of our members. Thanks to the members of both negotiating teams and those they represented at the table,” AFSCME Local 1343 President Ron Jacobs said in a statement.

Copyright 2022 WCAX. All rights reserved.