City of St. Louis Changes Family and Medical Leave Policy to Align with Other Cities

Mayor Cara Spencer and Provisional Personnel Director John Unnerstall today announced changes to the City’s family and medical leave (FML) policy, bringing it more in line with that of other cities and governments.

The changes, effective immediately, mean that City of St. Louis staff must now first tap accrued medical leave, sick leave, vacation leave and compensatory time before taking paid family and medical leave, a benefit passed by city ordinance in 2022 providing six weeks of paid leave for specific medical situations. An exception is made for the birth, adoption or foster care placement of a child, which City employees can take as paid leave before exhausting other forms of leave. 

Intermittent use of paid family is no longer allowed. Additionally, the City now has a separate leave policy to address the unique circumstances related to military leave. 

Unpaid family and medical leave provisions of the policy are unchanged.

“I appreciate Director Unnerstall’s work on this important policy revision,” said Mayor Spencer. “Bringing our policy in line with industry best practices is what was needed to strike the right balance between delivering high-quality services and providing important benefits that can support, attract and retain City staff. Even with these changes, our benefits are above industry standards.”

The Mayor’s Office and the Department of Personnel have worked closely with department directors to determine a path forward that serves both the City’s employees and residents. Ordinance 71512, which requires paid family and medical leave for City employees, was passed in 2022, aiming to improve talent attraction and retention. It was implemented through the Department of Personnel’s Administrative Regulation 133 in 2022. Today’s changes are a revision of that regulation and do not require a new ordinance.