The Professional Triathletes Organisation today announced that it has adopted a Maternity Leave Policy for women PTO Professionals. Under the policy, a woman PTO Professional shall be entitled to take up to 15 months of Maternity Leave, beginning from her pregnancy date and ending six months after birth. At the time of her pregnancy, her PTO World Ranking will be fixed, and during her Maternity Leave she will be paid monthly payments based on 100% of the PTO Annual Bonus Plan in effect at the time. For example, under the PTO’s existing Annual Bonus Plan, the woman PTO Professional ranked World No.5 would be entitled to a $60,000 bonus payment at the end of a calendar year. In the event the woman PTO Professional ranked World No.5 woman athlete becomes pregnant and takes her full 15 months Maternity Leave, she shall be paid $5,000 per month for 15 months from her pregnancy date, totalling $75,000.
Rachel Joyce, Co-President of the PTO, commented, “We are delighted to have adopted this Maternity Leave Policy. It recognises the unique reality women athletes face in trying to maintain a professional athletic career while balancing family planning. The PTO’s Maternity Leave Policy will ensure that in the future women PTO Professionals who seek to start families can do so with financial support and additionally maintain their PTO World Ranking. It truly is an innovative maternity policy.”
Charles Adamo, Executive Chairman of the PTO, added, “The PTO is almost unique among professional sporting organisations in that it represents both men and women professionals, who work together to see the sport of triathlon grow and thrive. While triathlon has always had a great reputation in having equal prize purses for men and women, it has not managed to consider the reality that pregnancy and childbirth can cause a woman’s professional athletic career to be disrupted. The PTO’s Maternity Leave Policy is just another example of the many ways that PTO Professionals, by uniting together in their own organisation, have been able to have a positive impact on our sport. From our $2,500,000 COVID-19 payments to PTO Professionals, to the 15 local races around the world we have supported this year with over $300,000 of prize money, to the upcoming $1,150,000 PTO 2020 Championship, which has prize money for every qualifier, and now our Maternity Leave Policy–none of this would have been possible had the PTO Professionals not united to form the PTO. All of this has been accomplished in the face of an incredibly difficult year and is a tribute to the positive impact a united body of PTO Professionals can have in our community.”
In addition to the Maternity Leave policy, the PTO has adopted a Parental Leave Policy that allows PTO Professionals who become parents to take up to four months Parental Leave from racing without having it affect their PTO World Ranking and related Annual Bonus payment.
Maternity and Parental Leave Policy
1. The Professional Triathletes Organisation (the “PTO”) is an entity that represents the interests of men and women professional triathletes who are members of the PTO (a “PTO Professional”).
2. The PTO is committed to the principle of gender equality and equal earning opportunities for all PTO Professionals regardless of their gender. It seeks to be a model for how gender equality in sport can be better implemented.
3. While the PTO fully recognises the equality of men and women PTO Professionals and seeks to provide and promote equal earning opportunities, it also fully recognises that men and women are different in that women PTO Professionals who desire to have a family may go through pregnancy and childbirth.
4. Because of this difference, women PTO Professionals who go through pregnancy and childbirth will have a more disrupted career path than male PTO Professionals and, therefore, will have potentially reduced earning opportunities.
5. The loss of potential earnings to a woman PTO Professional may discourage her or delay her decision to embark on pregnancy and childbirth.
6. While the PTO recognises that it may be impossible to formulate a plan that addresses this situation to the satisfaction of all, it also believes that the sport of triathlon has been poorly served by failing to recognise this reality and support women professional triathletes.
7. The PTO has, therefore, adopted this maternity leave policy to address some of the unique circumstances that women PTO Professionals navigate in balancing the maintenance of a professional athletic career and the reality of pregnancy and childbearing.
PTO Maternity Policy
8. Under the PTO’s current financial structure, all PTO Professionals receive a year-end bonus based on their rankings in the PTO WORLD RANKINGS at the end of a calendar year (the “Annual Bonus”).
9. A woman PTO Professional who becomes pregnant will have her PTO WORLD RANKING fixed (her “Fixed Ranking”) on the date she is determined to have become pregnant (the “Pregnancy Date”).
10. A woman PTO Professional who gives birth shall be entitled to up to 15 months of Maternity Leave (nine months of pregnancy and six months postpartum). A women PTO Professional’s Maternity Leave shall end on the earlier of (i) the date of her first race after the birth date and (ii) six months from the birth date (the “Maternity Leave End Date”). During her Maternity Leave a woman professional shall receive compensation (her “Maternity Leave Compensation) equal to 1/12 of her Annual Bonus based on her Fixed Ranking (the “Monthly Amount”) times the number of months (including any portion thereof) she takes Maternity Leave plus the percentage of the Annual Bonus already deemed earned in the calendar year she falls pregnant based on her Pregnancy Date (the “Already Earned Bonus”). Maternity Leave Compensation shall be paid in monthly instalments from the Pregnancy Date until the Maternity Leave End Date.
For example, under the PTO’s existing Annual Bonus Plan, the woman PTO Professional ranked World No.5 would be entitled to a $60,000 bonus payment at the end of a year. In the event the woman PTO Professional ranked World No. 5 becomes pregnant on April 1 and takes her full 15 months Maternity Leave, she shall be paid $5,000 per month for 15 months from her Pregnancy Date plus $15,000 (her Already Earned Bonus), totalling $90,000.
11. A woman PTO Professional who suffers a miscarriage after 14 weeks of pregnancy, as confirmed by her physician, she shall be entitled to Compassionate Leave of up to six months from her miscarriage date. A women PTO Professional’s Compassionate Leave shall end on the earlier of (i) the date of her first race after a miscarriage and (ii) six months after a miscarriage (the “Compassionate Leave End Date”). During her Compassionate Leave a woman PTO Professional shall receive compensation (“Compassionate Leave Compensation”) equal to the Monthly Amount times the number of months (including any portion thereof) from the Pregnancy Date until the Compassionate Leave End Date plus her Already Earned Bonus. Compassionate Leave Compensation shall be paid in monthly instalments from the Pregnancy Date until the Compassionate Leave End Date.
12. During Maternity Leave and Compassionate Leave a woman PTO Professional shall continue to promote and support the PTO and PTO Events as provided in the PTO Membership Agreement.
PARENTAL LEAVE POLICY
13. If a PTO Professional becomes a parent to a child under the age of 12 months, they shall be entitled to Parental Leave of up to four months from the date they became a parent (the “Parent Date”). A PTO Professional’s Parental Leave shall end on the earlier of (i) the date of their first race after the Parent Date and (ii) four months after the Parent Date (the “Parent Leave End Date”). If a PTO Professional elects to take Parental Leave, their PTO World Ranking shall be fixed on the Parent Date until the Parent Leave End Date.