@johhnyd Yep. And you have to be eligible for FMLA to get the paid time. So I didn't get it either time I had a baby (April 2020 and Dec 2022) because I had to reduce my time working to 55% due to lack of childcare after my first was born. COOL.
We also don't get state disability benefits either (for non maternity stuff).
@jedidiahanointing I’m so sorry to hear this! My company just hired a female President and our Sr VP is also a woman. The three of us (head of HR) just updated our company handbook last December. 12 weeks paid leave, DO NOT have to use PTO, 6 weeks of PTO no matter seniority, and 14 paid Holidays. We all three talked about recruiting the next gen and how we had to make due.
We need more people like these women willing to say it is important for the company.
@supercow That sounds lovely. All the old men I work with begrudgingly take off some Fridays or else they max out their vacation and don't accrue more and then I'm up working at weird hours just trying to get my hours in so I can support my kids activities and random days off and hopefully have enough to take a real vacation with the kids.
@laird This is what has always bothered me at my other jobs before I landed this sweet gig. I had to take PTO for kid’s doctor, my doctor, activities etc. and then the guys were always “I have so much vacation” I got to be bold and would ask them why they didn’t take time off for their kids. They looked at me like I had two heads.
My other big issue is our mom guilt for missing an event or child related activity and being judged by other moms. But dad’s could miss an event and it was always, “he’s an executive or manager” or whatever BS excuse the moms excepted. Total double standard.
I love this group to have the support for each other!
@pnemartin Are you not a public servant and/or in a red state? My agency gives us 7 months unpaid off, but we can bank OT, use between 6-8 weeks of sick leave, and we can take a pay cut in the lead up to buy PTO. I’ll be at 70% salary for a year, but paid for the entire time I’m out at 70%.
And at some point, my state will give us our paid family leave. Our union just super sucks at negotiating and the previous governor was a monster.
@siennac I’m in WA. They cashed out my pay once my sick leave ran out, but it wasn’t much. I did qualify for 90% of my pay thanks to state PFML, but that is ending in 3 weeks. I have to get through June, July, and August with nothing.
@pnemartin Shit like that makes me want to run for the union rep job, even though it’ll definitely taint me if I wanna move to a non union position. States usually have the best benefits. It’s infuriating when they fall so short. Like. They can’t both pay us shit and treat us like shit without giving us something.
@siennac based on how you've talked about it here, I think you would make a fantastic union rep, do you think it would be worth it enough to make up for the possible non-union positional taint?
@iandelano No. It’s career ending and I have places to go and people to be. But there’s definitely a lack of women in union leadership (at least in my union) and I know that’s why they haven’t figured out paid family leave in my state. I’ll have missed it for two pregnancies and lost out on the money because the first time the old white guys didn’t want to negotiate for it and for the second, they state wasn’t willing to open the contract early. Disappointing all around.
