If it works as promised, the agreement City Hall struck last week to give teachers paid parental leave ought to be the model for all new perks and all🏅 city unions.
The deal means it will be the United Federation of Teachers’ 120,000 members who ♋pay for the new benefit. It “will come at no new cost to New York City taxpaꦯyers,” a city press release assures.
Teachers will get up to eight weeks of leave after they give birth or adopt a child and can add six weeks of sick time, for as much as 14 weeks total. Negotiators put the price at about $51 million a year, but that’s to 🅰be offset by savings largely from delaying union raises for 2¹/₂ months.
And if the cost estimate is wrong, it’s the UFT on the hook: The city is to pay $51 million aꦉ year to the union no matter the actual cost, and the union will pay members their salaries🤡 during their leave.
It’s possible City Hall will find a way to pick up the tab in later contracts. But for now, taxpayers are being 𓂃held harmless.
Good thing, too, since teachers (and other city employees) got nice raises from Mayor de Blasio in their first contrꦰact talks. They also enjoy work rules, job protections and health and pension benefits that are often unmatched in the private sector (even as many of the city’s 1,600 schools are disasters for kids).
Also notable: While all UFT members will delay future raises for a couple months to pay the new costs, only those who actually use their ne𒅌w leave — largely, younger teachers — will benefit. That’s right: The UFT, as a whole, is stepping up to let some members get paid time off wh🥃en they have kids. That’s genuine solidarity.
Every other🐻 municipal union that wa🌱nts this benefit should show the same spirit.