Tampa settles lawsuit with feds over parental leave for male workers

The city of Tampa, Florida, has reached an agreement with the federal government to resolve a discrimination case alleging that male employees were not given the same parental leave time as female employees.

TAMPA, Fla. — The city of Tampa has reached an agreement with the federal government to resolve a discrimination case alleging that male employees were not given the same parental leave as female employees.

Under the proposed settlement reached Thursday, Tampa will pay $300,000 and grant 240 hours of additional leave to male employees who received the same amount of parental leave as female employees in 2017 and 2018.

According to the lawsuit, female employees were given up to 320 hours of leave to serve as the primary caregiver for a new child, while male employees were only allowed to serve as “secondary” caregivers for 80 hours, even if they were the primary caregiver. caregiver.

At least ten male employees requested primary care leave, but were denied because of their gender. According to the complaint, as many as 150 male employees were discouraged from applying for primary caregiving leave by their supervisors or human resources officials.

The proposed consent decree, which would require a judge's approval, also requires Tampa to adopt a new parental leave policy that does not discriminate on the basis of gender.

“This agreement sends a clear message that when providing paid or unpaid parental leave, employers must ensure that these benefits are provided without relying on assumptions about which parent may be the primary caregiver,” said U.S. Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke in a statement.

The Tampa City Council passed a resolution Thursday denying that the city unlawfully discriminates against male employees. Both the city and the federal government reached a settlement to “avoid the risk and burden of protracted litigation,” the resolution said.