California has a wealth of provisions for working mothers. A state disability insurance (SDI) program offers qualifiers 55 percent of wage replacement for new parents.
More private-sector workers qualify for job-protected medical leave under California law than they do under federal FMLA – the state extends parental and family leave rights to workers caring for a domestic partner or the child of a domestic partner. Four months of pregnancy-related disability leave is also available to all private-sector workers who work for a firm of at least five employees, regardless of how long they’ve worked there. Some of these benefits aren’t available for state workers unless their particular bargaining units have opted for them.
California also gets points for a flexible sick-leave program, in which half of an employee’s sick days can go toward caring for a family member.
Both state and private-sector workers have nursing-at-work rights while their children are infants.
California and Louisiana are the only states that require employers to honor a pregnant worker’s request to transfer to a less strenuous job, if it’s possible.
