Women Ironworkers Will Receive 6 Months Paid Maternity Leave

Female ironworkers in North America are set to receive six months of paid maternity leave — a benefit “virtually unheard of” in the building trades, according to a statement by the Iron Workers Union.

The six-month maternity leave is designed to be taken before delivery, and can be combined with six weeks of post-delivery leave — or eight weeks for Cesarean deliveries. “The challenges of physical work associated with the ironworking trade create unique health challenges that can jeopardize a pregnancy,” according to the statement.

The Iron Workers union has 130,000 members, only 2,100 of whom are women, Buzzfeed reports. “It’s about time we make our industry a level playing field for women and make diversity and inclusion a priority,” said Eric Dean, General President of the Iron Workers.

[H/T BuzzFeed]