Hearing on full pay for city workers' parental leave is canceled, with no new date

A City Council hearing on giving Boston city employees full pay for all 12 weeks of paid parental leave was set for Tuesday afternoon. It has been canceled, and no new date has been posted.

The Government Operations Committee hearing on the ordinance (docket 1599) was scheduled for 2 p.m. Oct. 27 in the Iannella Chamber. The hearing notice, last updated Oct. 22, now says it has been canceled and gives no reason. City Councilor Gabriela Coletta Zapata (District 1) is listed as both the committee's chair and the ordinance's sponsor.

For a city employee expecting a child, the difference is real money: under the current rules, the last eight weeks of leave are paid at a reduced rate unless the worker gives up sick or vacation time.

What the ordinance would do

Boston's code now gives eligible employees up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave, paid at 100% of base wages for the first four weeks, 75% for the next four and 50% for the last four. Employees can use accrued leave to make up the difference, according to the ordinance as filed.

The ordinance would pay 100% of base pay for all 12 weeks. It would also replace gendered language in the code. It says the policy covers birth, adoption and pregnancy loss, and would take effect immediately on passage.

The filing says use of the benefit has grown from 181 employees in 2021 to 313 in 2025. It says the city first created paid parental leave in 2015 and expanded it to 12 weeks in 2021. It does not include a cost estimate.

What our records show

Coletta Zapata filed the ordinance Aug. 26, which she said was her first official day back in the chamber after the birth of her son (watch at 1:06:00). She said that if employees need their full paycheck, they must give up separately earned sick or vacation time to make themselves whole. She also said about three-quarters of the employees who took paid parental leave over the last five years worked in the fire and police departments, which makes collective bargaining with unions part of the conversation.

Ten councilors are sponsors: Coletta Zapata, Liz Breadon, Miniard Culpepper, John FitzGerald, Ed Flynn, Ruthzee Louijeune, Erin Murphy, Enrique Pepén, Henry Santana and Brian Worrell. Sharon Durkan, Julia Mejia and Benjamin Jacob Weber are not listed. The ordinance was referred to Government Operations the same day and had waited two months for Tuesday's hearing.

What's next

The notice says written comments are still accepted at ccc.go@boston.gov and become part of the record. To pass, the ordinance would need a committee report, a council vote and the mayor's signature. A new hearing date would appear on the city's public notices page.