Paid Parental Leave Benefit, Parental Leave and Related Rights Dashboard Dashboard

(Updated March 17, 2021)

In the 2017 MBA, the Writers Guild negotiated Article 68, for the first time guaranteeing writers the right to take up to eight weeks of unpaid parental leave. In 2020, we built on that achievement and added MBA Article 71, giving writers another first: paid benefits through a portable Paid Parental Leave (PPL) fund.

NEW PORTABLE PAID PARENTAL LEAVE BENEFIT

Starting May 2, 2021, the PPL benefit will be available to Health Fund participants who work under the MBA or other agreements under which the employer is required to pay these contributions; whose children are born, adopted, fostered, or placed with them for adoption on or after May 2, 2021; and who are eligible for Writers Guild health insurance at the time of birth, adoption, fostering, or placement for adoption.

The benefit is $2,000 per week for up to eight weeks. The weeks need not be taken consecutively and the benefit is available for a 12-month window from the date of birth, adoption or placement. If both parents are WGA writers who are eligible for Writers Guild health coverage at the time of birth, adoption, fostering, or placement for adoption, then each is separately eligible for the paid parental leave benefit.

In order to receive PPL benefits, participants must not work for an employer during the period for which the PPL is taken. A residual, production bonus, or other similar deferred payment received during the benefit period will not interfere with eligibility.

Members who anticipate they will need and be eligible for this benefit should contact the Health Fund at (818) 846-1015 (toll-free: (800) 227-7863) or via email.

If you have any questions, please consult the Fund’s PPL Guide or contact the Fund at the number or email listed above.

PARENTAL LEAVE UNDER ARTICLE 68 OF THE MBA

In 2017, the Writers Guild negotiated Article 68 of the MBA giving writers and writer-producers employed on the staff of an episodic series or serial the right to take up to eight weeks of leave to care for a new child. Guild members advocated for this leave as necessary to protect their writing careers at a point in their lives when they needed time with their families. The need to provide leave rights under the MBA was particularly acute because laws that protect workers in many other sectors of the economy frequently do not apply to writers due to the seasonal or intermittent nature of their employment.

Article 68 entitles qualified writers on television and new media series to take up to eight weeks of unpaid leave to bond with a newborn child, newly adopted child, or foster child. The leave must be taken within a year of the birth, adoption, or placement of the child.

Under the provision, writers must request leave at least 30 days in advance, unless such notice is impracticable, in which case the writer should make the request within a reasonable time. The Company must reinstate the writer to his or her original position on the series, provided the position continues to exist upon conclusion of the leave. All of these new rights are enforceable by the Guild through the arbitration provisions in the MBA.

If you have questions or issues related to parental leave, or other rights of new parents, contact Latifah Salom at the Guild’s Legal Department at (323) 782-4521.

STATUTORY LEAVE RIGHTS

If you need help walking through any of the below, contact: Latifah Salom at (323) 782-4521.

In addition to the parental leave provision in the MBA, some writers may be entitled to leave under an assortment of state and federal statutes. Leave periods under these laws run concurrently with the MBA-protected leave, and each law has different requirements for eligibility. The primary statutes that may be of use to writers are the following:

• Federal Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA):
  FMLA allows up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave to bond with a newborn baby or with an adopted or foster child. It can also be taken for an employee’s serious health condition or to care for a child, parent, spouse, or domestic partner with a serious health condition. This right to leave applies if the employer has at least 50 employees in a 75 mile radius of the work site, the employee has worked for the employer for the last 12 months, and the employee has worked for at least 1,250 hours over the past 12 months.
• California Family Rights Act (CFRA):
  Writers employed in California may also be covered by CFRA, which provides leave rights similar to the FMLA and has the same qualification requirements. CFRA specifically includes same-sex domestic partners as parents. It does not apply to pregnancy related conditions, which are covered under a separate law, outlined below.
• California Pregnancy Disability Law (PDL):
  PDL allows up to four months of job protected leave to persons disabled due to pregnancy, childbirth, or related conditions. The period of job projection is determined by the amount of time a health care provider certifies a disability. Generally, health care providers certify a pregnant woman disabled four weeks before childbirth and six weeks after vaginal delivery or eight weeks after caesarian section. This law applies if the employer has at least five employees.
• Other State Laws
  Many other states have their own leave laws. Call Latifah Salom at the Guild’s Legal Department if you have questions about a specific state’s laws.

PREGNANCY AND PARENTING LEAVE, INCLUDING BENEFITS DURING LEAVE

Unless provided in a writer’s contract, employers are not required to pay writers during parental or pregnancy leave. Some states, however, provide limited income replacement benefits. In California, there are two types of paid leave benefits funded by payroll deductions and administered through a state agency, the California Employment Development Department (EDD).

• State Disability Insurance
  State disability insurance pays disability benefits to a woman who is certified by a medical provider as disabled on account of pregnancy during the period of her disability. This is generally four weeks prior to childbirth, and six weeks after vaginal delivery or eight weeks after a cesarean section.
• Paid Family Leave
  Paid family leave pays up to six weeks of benefits to an employee during leave to bond with a newborn baby, newly adopted or foster child, or to care for a parent, child, spouse or domestic partner with a serious health problem. Paid family leave can be paid for leave time after disability pay runs out.

Both benefits are limited in amount and subject to eligibility requirements. To learn whether you qualify for income replacement and to determine the amount of the benefit, visit the California Employment Development Department website:

For pregnancy disability: California Employment Development Department: Calculating Benefit Payment Amounts

For Paid family leave: Celebrating 20 Years of Paid Family Leave

If you need assistance navigating the EDD website or have questions about these benefits, contact Latifah Salom at: (323) 782-4521.

RELATED CALIFORNIA RIGHTS

California law provides a number of other workplace protections related to pregnancy and childcare:

• Accommodation during Pregnancy
  California law requires employers with five or more employees to provide pregnant workers reasonable accommodations, such as a chair, help with heavy lifting, and frequent bathroom breaks. Employers are also prohibited from forcing a pregnant woman to take leave when she has not requested it.
• Lactation Accommodation
  California law also requires employers to provide a reasonable amount of break time and make a reasonable effort to provide a private space, other than a toilet stall, close to the employee’s work area, to accommodate an employee to express breastmilk for her baby.