Syracuse will begin providing nonunion city employees with 12 weeks of paid family leave starting Saturday, Dec. 1, Mayor Ben Walsh announced Wednesday.  

The city previously didn’t provide any family leave, according to a release from the mayor’s office. Employees were allowed to take up to 12 weeks off through the federal Family and Medical Leave Act, but they had to use accumulated vacation, personal and sick time. Then, they were forced to take unpaid leave, per the release.  

Walsh said in the release that the city needs to compete with the many businesses and governments that already offer paid parental leave.  

The policy change is Walsh’s first step in improving parental leave for city employees, per the release. Under the new policy, employees can use all 12 weeks at once, take one week off at a time or work with their department head to create a part-time schedule. The leave can be used for a recent birth, adoption or foster placement.