Netflix under pressure to expand 1-year parental leave to lower-paid workers in DVD division

Netflix is getting jeered for excluding the employees in its DVD-by-rental service from a recently introduced benefit that gives up to a year of unpaid leave to most of its workers after the birth or adoption of a baby.

At least three online petitions posted by activist groups are urging Netflix to extend the baby benefit beyond the roughly 2,000 workers in the Internet-video service that generates most of its revenue.

Netflix has about 450 temporary, part- and full-time employees in its steadily shrinking but still profitable DVD division.

The protesting groups contend Netflix is unfairly favoring the mostly high-paid employees in its Internet video service over its lower-paid DVD workers.

Netflix says its DVD employees get bigger paychecks and better benefits than people in comparable jobs.