Memphis city workers welcoming a new child will soon be able to stay home on full pay for up to six weeks, under an executive order signed Monday, July 20, by Mayor Paul Young. The new benefit covers parents after the birth, adoption or fostering of a child and is designed to give families income-protected time to recover and bond instead of having to choose between a paycheck and time at home.
The signing, captured with Young flanked by City Council members Jerri Green and Michalyn Easter-Thomas, locks in the administration's paid parental leave policy for city workers, as reported by the Daily Memphian. The order comes as an executive action from the mayor rather than a council ordinance, a distinction that keeps the move squarely in the executive branch.
How City Hall Got to Six Weeks
The executive order follows a June City Council resolution urging Young to create a paid parental leave program by executive action. In that resolution, the council specifically called for six weeks of leave that would apply to childbirth, adoption and foster care placements.
Action News 5 reported at the time that the mayor’s communications office said city Human Resources was already drafting the implementing policy, but had not put a firm timeline on when the details would be finished and rolled out to employees.
Keeping Pace With Shelby County
Memphis is not moving in a vacuum. Earlier this year, Shelby County made its own six week paid parental leave policy permanent for eligible county employees, according to a county press release. Announced in April, that county move codified a six week benefit for full time county workers and set a nearby precedent for how local governments in the area might handle paid leave for new parents.
Who Gets the Leave and What Happens Next
The new Memphis order applies to full time city employees and covers birth, adoption and fostering, according to the Daily Memphian. City documents show the proposal ran through committee talks in May before reaching the full council in June, where council members and city officials worked through the specifics, according to the City of Memphis meeting agenda on memphistn.gov.
Council members who pushed the resolution have said they want the benefit in place quickly and some have publicly hoped it could be operational by the end of the year. For now, city HR staff and the mayor’s office are tasked with finalizing eligibility rules, scheduling mechanics and budget details as the written policy is completed and posted for employees.
