New parents at Port of Tacoma could get paid leave, if commission approves

The Port of Tacoma commission could approve four weeks of paid leave for new parents at its meeting this week.

The decision comes on the heels of one made late last year by the Northwest Seaport Alliance, which approved four weeks paid parental leave for its employees in December.

The Port of Tacoma and the Port of Seattle are the two members of the seaport alliance. The two agencies have worked to align human resources policies since the shipping alliance was formed more than a year ago. The Port of Tacoma’s parental leave policy would mirror that of the seaport alliance.

If approved, the paid leave applies to employees working at least 30 or more hours per week, although only full-time workers can claim the full four weeks, seaport alliance minutes say. Men and women qualify for paid parental leave after the birth, adoption or foster placement of a child.

The Port of Tacoma commission could decide on the benefit at its 6 p.m. Thursday meeting, held at the Fabulich Center, 3600 Port of Tacoma Road.

This story was originally published March 13, 2017 at 1:02 PM with the headline "New parents at Port of Tacoma could get paid leave, if commission approves."