We are in CA and some of our city contracts (SF in particular) want us to cover Domestic Partners in our FMLA leaves.... anyone out there doing that or any comments?
I'd heard of 'registered lobyists','registered sex offenders' and registered Democrats; but, 'registered domestic partner', I must admit, is a new one on me.
Don: Would you expect anything different from CA! "Registered Domestic Partners", must be something akin to "Common Law wife or Common Law husband", but in CA it could be "man with dedicated man" or "woman with dedicated woman".
This a business decision. FMLA sets minimum standards. There is nothing to prevent any company from being more generous as long as they are consistent.
[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 03-07-05 AT 11:12AM (CST)[/font][br][br]The key difference is that your employees in Ca. are also covered by Ca. Family Leave, as noted by Mary B. In most, but not all, respects the leave is the same as FMLA. The other piece is that the Ca. domestic partner regs provide that domestic partners have the same rights as spouses. The state definition of a domestic partner is somone registered as such with the Secretary of State (Ca). If you have less than 50 employees in one location, you wouldn't have to comply with either federal or state family leave. Then it becomes a business decision whether or not you do more than the regulations require.
As with any federal regulation,check your state law. Some states are much more liberal and generous than the federal law mandates. You must abide by the state law.
Also, as others have stated, it is often a company decision to allow more than the law requires.
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My $0.02 worth,
The Balloonman
PORK
Check this link out [url]http://www.littler.com/nwsltr/ca_asap_01_DomesticPartner.htm[/url]
What's key is that the partner is a registered domestic partner.
"Registered Domestic Partners", must be something akin to "Common Law wife or Common Law husband", but in CA it could be "man with dedicated man" or "woman with dedicated woman".
PORK
May even these have a Blessed day!
Also, as others have stated, it is often a company decision to allow more than the law requires.