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Washington, D.C. — The federal government should catch up to workplace policies in the private sector by offering paid leave to new parents, according to a letter sent to White House adviser Ivanka Trump by the leader of the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU).

NTEU National President Tony Reardon urged Ms. Trump, the daughter of President Donald Trump who serves as one of his West Wing advisers, to support paid parental leave for the men and women who work for the federal government.

Reardon’s letter was sent to the White House on May 9, in honor of Mother’s Day.

“NTEU knows that you were the driving force in including maternity leave in the President’s campaign platform,” Reardon wrote. “NTEU agrees that new parents should not lose pay as they welcome a child into their families. This Mother’s Day, join with us in asking Congress to pass the Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act.”

NTEU has endorsed H.R. 1022 and S. 362, the Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act of 2017. The bill would provide federal employees, mothers and fathers, with six weeks of paid leave to welcome a new child into their family. The policy would apply to births, adoptions and fostering.

In her new book, Women Who Work, Trump wrote that she would be a champion for family-friendly policies: “I felt it was my duty and obligation to take a stand on issues that contribute to wage inequality, such as our country’s failure to mandate paid leave for American workers.”

 “We agree with Ivanka Trump that the United States should join the rest of the industrialized world and have a paid parental leave policy,” Reardon said. “That’s why we believe her endorsement of such a policy for federal employees is a great place to start. The federal government can be a trail blazer for the rest of the country on this issue.”

Paid parental leave helps recruit and retain high-quality employees who want to grow their families without suffering the financial setback of unpaid leave. It reduces turnover by improving morale, loyalty and job satisfaction, and it has special appeal to younger workers who are less likely to have large amounts of sick time, vacation time or financial savings.

NTEU represents 150,000 employees at 31 federal agencies and departments.