Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to provide eligible employees with paid prenatal leave to attend necessary prenatal, fertility-related, and end-of-pregnancy medical appointments, in compliance with applicable law, while supporting employee health and well-being.

Scope

This policy applies to all University employees, full-time and part-time, including union and non-union employees, unless otherwise provided in an applicable collective bargaining agreement.

Policy

All employees, regardless of full-time or part-time status, including non-union and union employees, are covered by the below policy, unless otherwise addressed in an applicable collective bargaining agreement.

Effective January 1, 2025, employees are entitled to up to 20 hours of paid prenatal leave during any 52-week calendar period. Paid prenatal leave may be used for the following reasons:

• An employee’s health care services during their pregnancy or related to such pregnancy, including doctor’s visits, screenings, and diagnostic tests;

• An employee’s health care services related to fertility treatment or care appointments, including invitro fertilization; and

• An employee’s end-of-pregnancy care appointments.

Note: Prenatal leave does not cover post-natal or postpartum appointments. This leave is only available to the employee directly receiving the prenatal health services. It is not available to spouses, partners or other support persons.

The 52-week period is measured forward from the date an employee first uses paid prenatal leave. A total of 20 hours of paid prenatal leave time may be taken across a single 52-week period.

Prenatal leave is available in addition to, and may be taken separately from, paid sick time or any other paid leave available to employees.

Employees can use paid prenatal leave in 1-hour increments. Employees will be paid at their regular rate of pay for time taken as paid prenatal leave.

This does not require that an employee work at the University for any minimum amount of time before accessing prenatal leave. Prenatal leave does not accrue beyond the 52-week period and unused prenatal leave is not paid out by the University upon separation.

Employees should notify the Office of Human Resources or their supervisor in advance and when practicable of any planned prenatal leave. The University will not require the disclosure of confidential information as a condition of providing paid prenatal leave.

Employees will not be discharged, penalized, or in any other manner discriminated or retaliated against because they have exercised their rights to request and use paid prenatal leave under this policy and applicable law.

Related Policies and References

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