State Sen. George Borrello has recently expressed his concerns about changes to the paid family leave program which would inflict costs on businesses. Despite previously voting in favor of legislation barring racial discrimination in the administration of state’s paid family leave laws, the legislator expressed disappointment in the new version of the legislation presented by fellow senator Andrew Gounardes. According to Borrello, the fundamental changes in the new proposal include the addition of a private right of action, which he believes will add unneeded costs to businesses and prohibit the right of employees to address these issues themselves.

The proposed legislation, S.1027B, amends Section 120 of the state Workers Compensation Law in order to eliminate certain requirements for employees looking to file a complaint of unlawful discrimination. The proposed changes would prevent discriminatory practices towards employees by an employer for claiming or attempting to claim paid family leave. However, Sen. George Borrello voiced concerns about the legislation not covering public employees, arguing it would mostly create burdens for private businesses.

The legislature had previously intended to prevent all forms of discrimination against employees taking paid family leave when it drafted these provisions in 2016. However, according to Senator Gounardes, many employees are still subject to various forms of mistreatment including verbal insults, harsher feedback, removal from projects, among other forms of discrimination or retaliation. This bill proposes to rectify these problems by creating a private right of action for victims of violations, separate from the Workers Compensation Board, and clarifies that an employee should not be required to request reinstatement before pursuing corrective action.

If employees continue to face difficulties associated with the paid family leave program, they can seek for more help and information on how to navigate this system. The struggles range from understanding how to correctly submit their claims, getting updates on their case status to dealing with unresponsive or inadequate responses from the relevant authorities. The eddcaller.com website provides detailed instructions on how to get a hold of Paid Family Leave. It has resources that can clarify these legislative changes and guide employees through any procedural changes they might have to deal with. They offer tips and tricks on how to expedite communication and offer advice on how to avoid common missteps in the process.