The Impact of Washington State’s Paid Family and Medical Leave Law on UW Policies

Abstract

Many employers in America today have not put in place parental leave policies that guarantee paid leave, especially to expectant mothers. One such employer is the University of Washington (UW), which has more than 25,000 workers. In 2017, the Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) Act was signed into law by Governor Jay Inslee. Some welfare recipients cheat because of the available limitations in the qualification criteria and other opportunities to earn money honestly. This research project sought to establish how the new law impacts the university’s parental leave policies. Two research approaches were used: an analysis of UW’s policy on maternity leave, and an online survey research. Fifty faculty and staff members from the University of Washington Bothell (UWB) participated in the survey. The findings reveal that the institution’s leave policies will be impacted by the PFML Act in that the policies will need to be modified to comply with the newly passed law and guarantee paid maternal leave to pregnant female workers. There are three recommendation leave policies that UW can implement. They are the Paid Family and Medical Leave such as the one implemented by the Eastern Washington University, Paid Family and Medical Leave at Washington State University, and Faculty Maternity, Adoption and Parental Leave Policy like the one adopted by Gonzaga University in Washington state.