Latest news with #FamilyMedicalLeaveAct
Yahoo
7 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Several former NYS correction officers sue state, DOCCS claiming wrongful termination
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Several former New York State correction officers are suing the state and the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) to get their jobs back. DOCCS started firing employees in March after the multi-week strike took place at facilities statewide, with correction officers asking for safer working conditions, limits to overtime, and a reversal of the Humane Alternatives to Long-Term Solitary Confinement (HALT) Act. DOCCS says strike is over, more than 2K fired According to a complaint filed on Friday, over a dozen former correction officers are suing the state, claiming they were wrongfully terminated while they were off the job under the Family Medical Leave Act. The suit calls for monetary damages and the reinstatement of employment and health benefits. DOCCS said it does not comment on pending litigation. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bipartisan House lawmakers unveil paid family leave incentive bill
A bipartisan group of House lawmakers introduced a bill aimed at expanding paid family leave, the result of more than two years of work by the House Paid Family Leave Working Group. The More Paid Leave for More Americans Act would establish a three-year pilot grant program within the Department of Labor aimed at encouraging states to establish paid family leave programs using public-private partnerships. Reps. Stephanie Bice (R-Okla.) and Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.), the co-chairs of the working group, were optimistic about the prospects for the legislation being signed into law, saying party leaders and the White House are aware of it. 'We've had conversations with leadership, but I think more importantly, we've had conversations with committees. We've had conversations with the White House. We have really done our due diligence to make sure everybody knows the importance of this,' Bice said, adding the bill is something 'we feel confident we can get across the finish line.' Houlahan called working on the initiative the 'highlight of her Congressional career,' adding, 'We have been doing our homework and doing the socialization that's necessary to appear on the House side and also on the Senate side, on the Republican side and on the Democratic side, to make sure that there are no surprises.' To qualify for the grants, states must have enacted laws establishing such public-private programs — such as one in which the government funds the benefit but has a private partner administer it — that cover at least the category of birth or adoption under the Family Medical Leave Act. The programs must provide at least six weeks of paid leave to be eligible for the federal grant. And it also requires paid benefit being a level that is at least 67 percent wage replacement rate for individuals at or below the poverty line for a family of four ($31,200), or 50 percent wage replacement for individuals earning more than double the poverty line for a family of four ($62,400). The maximum benefit is 150 percent of a state's average weekly wage to avoid high-income earners getting large benefits. In addition, states would have to participate in the Interstate Paid Leave Action Network, which would establish best practices for paid leave programs based on success in various states with the aim for 'harmonization' across the patchwork of different state laws. The price tag on the program, according to a summary of the legislation, would be $500 million — $265 million for the grant program $235 million for the paid leave network — which would be 'fully offset' through 'several pay-fors negotiated on a bipartisan basis.' One of those pay-fors, Bice said, would be changing funding for extracurricular activities on military bases. Another pay-for in the bill text is halving the amount authorized for an annual report on monitoring illegal and unreported fishing and seafood. Thirteen states and the District of Columbia have paid family leave programs, while Hawaii has paid disability leave and three states have voluntary programs to allow workers and employers to purchase private family or medical leave insurance, according to the Department of Labor. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
30-04-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Bipartisan House lawmakers unveil paid family leave incentive bill
A bipartisan group of House lawmakers introduced a bill aimed at expanding paid family leave, the result of more than two years of work by the House Paid Family Leave Working Group. Titled the More Paid Leave for More Americans Act, the bill would establish a three-year pilot grant program within the Department of Labor aimed at encouraging states to establish their own paid family leave programs using public-private partnerships. Rep. Stephanie Bice (R-Okla.) and Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.), the co-chairs of the working group, were optimistic about the prospects for the legislation being signed into law, saying that party leaders and the White House are aware of it. 'We've had conversations with leadership, but I think more importantly, we've had conversations with committees. We've had conversations with the White House. We have really done our due diligence to make sure everybody knows the importance of this,' Bice said, adding that the bill is something 'we feel confident we can get across the finish line.' Houlahan called working on the initiative the 'highlight of her Congressional career,' and added: 'We have been doing our homework and doing the socialization that's necessary to appear on the House side and also on the Senate side, on the Republican side and on the Democratic side, to make sure that there are no surprises.' To qualify for the grants, states must have enacted laws establishing such public-private programs — such as one in which the government funds the benefit but has a private partner administer it — that cover at least the category of birth or adoption under the Family Medical Leave Act. The programs must provide at least six weeks of paid leave to be eligible for the federal grant. And it also requires paid benefit being a level that is at least 67 percent wage replacement rate for individuals at or below the poverty line for a family of four ($31,200), or 50 percent wage replacement for individuals earning more than double the poverty line for a family of four ($62,400). The maximum benefit is 150 percent of a state's average weekly wage, in order to avoid high-income earners getting large benefits. In addition, states would have to participate in the Interstate Paid Leave Action Network, which would establish best practices for paid leave programs based on success in various states with the aim for 'harmonization' across the patchwork of different state laws. The price tag on the program, according to a summary of the legislation, would be $500 million — $265 million for grant program $235 million for the paid leave network — which would be 'fully offset' through 'several pay-fors negotiated on a bipartisan basis.' One of those pay-fors, Bice said, would be changing funding for extracurricular activities on military bases. Another pay-for in the bill text is halving the amount authorized for an annual report on monitoring illegal and unreported fishing and seafood. Currently, thirteen states and the District of Columbia have paid family leave programs, while Hawaii has paid disability leave and three states have voluntary programs to allow workers and employers to purchase private family or medical leave insurance, according to the Department of Labor.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
After years of bargaining, CGH Medical Center employees seek city support in union negotiations
Apr. 25—STERLING — Four years after winning the right to unionize, CGH Medical Center employees are still fighting for a collective bargaining agreement. The labor union on Monday night took that fight to the Sterling City Council to gain city leaders' support in the quest for a contract. Members of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31 urged the council to pass a resolution showing its support for CGH management to quickly reach an agreement with the union. The resolution was only for presentation and no action was taken by the City Council. Mayor Diana Merdian said a copy of the resolution would be forwarded to CGH's board of directors. CGH medical technologist Shelly Houzenga has been a member of the union negotiation team for more than three years and made the request for support on behalf of the union. She said CGH has continued to delay reaching a collective bargaining agreement with AFSCME and spent $1.7 million in attorneys' fees related to its efforts to fight the establishment of the union and "silence voices." "This is about supporting front-line workers of this city-owned hospital that directly provides care for the members of this committee," Houzenga said. "Please, I beg you, consider showing your support to resolve this conflict by passing the proposed resolution." In late 2019, employees at CGH Medical Center in Sterling, led by Council 31 of the AFSCME, began efforts to unionize. The union filed petitions after months of organizing, claiming majority support among staff. CGH objected, alleging fraud and coercion in collecting union cards, and argued that certain employees, including a specialty nurse group and an electronic medical records trainer, should be excluded from the bargaining unit. However, in 2021, a state labor judge dismissed most of CGH's objections for lack of evidence, agreeing only that the EMR trainer should be excluded from the union. Following that decision, AFSCME urged CGH to accept the ruling and certify the union. Almost 1,000 employees, including nurses, CNAs, phlebotomists and other health workers, supported the unionization to secure better pay, fair treatment and a stronger voice in patient care. At that time, CGH leadership said it still was considering the next steps, prioritizing care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Union supporters emphasized that forming a union would strengthen the hospital and improve service to the community. However, after the union was officially certified by the Illinois Labor Relations Board in 2021, tensions between the hospital and the union continued. Melissa Greschke is a nurse who has worked at CGH for the past 13 years. She said she was not initially interested in unionizing, feeling confident she had a good rapport with CGH leadership and co-workers, until recently filing for an intermittent Family Medical Leave Act absence due to a health condition. "CGH not only expressed disapproval with the fact I might need to use FMLA, but moved me, against my wishes, to the flow pool," Greschke said, visibly upset and moved to tears. "I had not taken any leave. At this point, I was moved at the possibility of using my protected leave. I did not want or need to take a lesser position, but because I exercised my right by law to protect its lead, I have been punished by management at CGH. This has turned my world upside down." "CGH is a city-owned hospital, and our job is to take care of the health care needs of our community, yet employees aren't allowed to have health issues," Greschke said. "Unfortunately, my story is one of many. My situation only illustrates how badly employees need representation and what they call a seat at the table." Over the past few years, the union and CGH have filed multiple complaints against each other, including an issue involving a December 2019 letter from CGH President and CEO Paul Steinke. [ Union members protest lack of contract at CGH, two years after certification ] Administrative Law Judge Anna Hamburg-Gal ruled in March 2022 that the letter, published by Shaw Local in print and online, violated state labor laws. The letter provided detailed instructions on how employees could revoke their union support and included disparaging remarks about the union, claiming it would waste dues and harm relationships with management. Hamburg-Gal found that the letter was coercive, discouraging employees from maintaining union membership and encouraging them to report revocation to human resources. The letter came out just before Gov. JB Pritzker strengthened state labor laws. Although CGH argued the union's complaint was filed too late, the judge proceeded with the case, siding with the union. [ Judge: CGH Medical Center violated labor law during unionization efforts ] Shaw Local reached out to Steinke for comment about the union's presentation at the council meeting. A member of CGH's media relations team replied with the following statement from representatives of CGH Medical Center: "Illinois law severely limits what public employers can say on bargaining matters. Subsequently, while we continue to bargain in good faith, we have no further comment."
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Yahoo
NYC jail data show a sharp increase in correction officers out on family leave
The city Correction Department has seen a mysterious jump over the past 18 months in the numbers of officers taking time off under laws that allow leave for pregnancies and caring for sick relatives — sparking concerns that officers are using the leaves as their own literal get-out-of-jail-free card, according to data and correction sources. Until August 2023, the number of officers out each day on so-called FMLA leave was fairly steady at around 45 a day on average, according to department figures cited in a November report by the federal monitor tracking violence and uses of force in the jails. The total jumped to an average of 86 officers a day in August 2023 and then to about 110 a day on average one month later, the figures show. The daily average has remained consistently above 110 since then, the figures show. In 2024, the average was 113 officers a day — or 151% higher than in the summer of 2023. These increases are much smaller than those in the postpandemic sick leave scandal of 2021 and 2022, when it was routine for 1,500 officers a day to be out, and some officers were charged with crimes over their absences, but the rise was important enough to be mentioned in the little-noticed November report by the monitor. 'While the department appears to have effectively curbed abuses in these areas [sick leave], a problem involving potential abuses of Family Medical Leave Act and Personal Emergency leave has emerged,' the federal monitoring team tracking violence and staff use of force in the jails noted in November. 'Staff are also not utilizing Personal Emergency time as designed.' The number of officers out per day on personal emergency leave also rose, from 30 in 2022 to 44 in 2024 — a 47% jump, the figures show. The federal Family Leave and Medical Act provides for 12 to 26 weeks of unpaid leave for special time away from work for situations like pregnancies and caring for a loved one who is sick. State law provides for 12 weeks of paid leave. Multiple Correction Department sources claimed one factor is that some officers use the FMLA allowances as de facto sick days without obtaining prior approval. 'They're using it like a bank card. They will call and say I'm FMLA-ing for today, or the next two hours. Why is it happening? Because the commissioner's not holding them accountable for it,' a source said. Union officials didn't respond to a request for comment. The sources said the problem emerged in a more pronounced way after the crackdown on sick leave abuse that included home visits by correction investigators to verify the reported illness. 'You have officers who might be allowed one to three days a month, but they are going over 10 or 15 days,' a source said. Maureen Sheehan, a former Correction Department deputy director of investigations, said one issue has been that the agency has been lax in checking the paperwork that is supposed to be filed and approved whenever a staffer goes out on FMLA. 'It's hard to even know if they took an FMLA day because it's just handwritten into a logbook at the facility,' she said. 'There's no one really checking.' The disclosure emerges as the department is once again struggling with staffing shortages. On March 7, the Daily News reported that Correction Commissioner Lynelle Maginley-Liddie backed down on a plan to move to 12-hour tours after a staff revolt. It's unclear what her next plan will be. In remarks to the City Council that same day, Maginley-Liddie cited a 32% increase in the jail population during Mayor Adams' three-year tenure to 6,900 detainees along with a 20% drop in officers to about 6,000 during the same period. Some 700 officers will be eligible to retire this year, with an additional 750 in 2026, she said. 'As we move into this next fiscal year, we must confront some hard truths,' she said. Correction Department spokesmen did not directly address a connection between the 12-hour tour plan and the FMLA numbers. But they noted that the percentage of staff out on sick leave has dropped from 22% in December 2021 to 11% in December 2022 to 7% in December 2024. Officers who are 'medically restricted,' or barred from working directly with detainees, has also dropped from 10% in December 2021 to 5% in December 2024. 'The NYC Department of Correction holds our staff to the highest standards. Any unbecoming conduct will be investigated,' department press secretary Annais Morales said. 'As we said before, our scheduling strategies are intended to address staffing challenges while improving coverage, predictability and work-life balance for our dedicated staff. The Correction Department declined to provide statistics on how many officers are directly working in the jails on a given day or offer an explanation for the increase in officers out each day on FMLA and emergency leave except to reiterate that abuse allegations are investigated. Morales said recruiting is a priority of the agency, noting that the city's fiscal 2026 budget includes $5 million for that purpose.
