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Star Paid Parental Leave Policy

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Paid Parental Leave Policy

Purpose
STAR Plastics will provide up to 3 weeks of paid parental leave to employees following the birth of an employee’s child or the placement of a child with an employee in connection with adoption or foster care. The purpose of paid parental leave is to enable the employee to care for and bond with a newborn or a newly adopted or newly placed child. This policy will run concurrently with Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leave, as applicable.
Scope
This policy will be in effect for all full-time regular employees for births, adoptions or placements of foster children occurring on or after October 1, 2021.
Policy
Employees must meet one of the following criteria:

  • Have given birth to a child.
  • Be a spouse or committed partner of a woman who has given birth to a child.
  • Have adopted a child or been placed with a foster child (in either case, the child must be age 17 or younger). The adoption of a new spouse’s child is excluded from this policy.

Eligible employees will receive a maximum of 3 weeks of paid parental leave per birth, adoption or placement of a child/children. The fact that a multiple birth, adoption, or placement occurs (e.g., the birth of twins or adoption of siblings) does not increase the 3-week total amount of paid parental leave granted for that event. In addition, in no case will an employee receive more than 3 weeks of paid parental leave in a rolling 12-month period, regardless of whether more than one birth, adoption or foster care placement event occurs within that 12-month time frame.

Each week of paid parental leave is compensated at 100 percent of the employee’s regular, straight-time weekly pay. Paid parental leave will be paid on regularly scheduled pay dates.

Approved paid parental leave may be taken at any time during the 12-month period immediately following the birth, adoption, or placement of a child with the employee. Paid parental leave may not be used or extended beyond this 12-month time frame.

In the event of a female employee who herself has given birth; the 3 weeks of paid parental leave will commence at the conclusion of any short-term disability leave/benefit provided to the employee for the employee’s own medical recovery following childbirth.

Employees must take paid parental leave minimally in 1-week increments and must use all paid parental leave during the 12-month time frame indicated above. Any unused paid parental leave will be forfeited at the end of the [enter number]-month time frame.

Upon termination of the individual’s employment at the company, he or she will not be paid for any unused paid parental leave for which he or she was eligible.

Coordination with Other Policies

  •  Paid parental leave taken under this policy will run concurrently with leave under the FMLA; thus, any leave taken under this policy that falls under the definition of circumstances qualifying for leave due to the birth or placement of a child due to adoption or foster care, the leave will be counted toward the 12 weeks of available FMLA leave per a 12-month period. All other requirements and provisions under the FMLA will apply. In no case will the total amount of leave—whether paid or unpaid—granted to the employee under the FMLA exceed 12 weeks during the 12-month FMLA period. Please refer to the Family and Medical Leave Policy for further guidance on the FMLA.
  • The company will maintain all benefits for employees during the paid parental leave period just as if they were taking any other company paid leave such as paid vacation leave or paid sick leave.
  • If a company holiday occurs while the employee is on paid parental leave, such day will be charged to holiday pay; however, such holiday pay will not extend the total paid parental leave entitlement.

Requests for Paid Parental Leave

  •  The employee will provide his or her supervisor and the human resource department with notice of the request for leave at least 30 days prior to the proposed date of the leave (or if the leave was not foreseeable, as soon as possible). The employee must complete the necessary HR forms and provide all documentation as required by the HR department to substantiate the request.
  •  As is the case with all company policies, the company has the exclusive right to interpret this policy.