Maternity Leave

Although I have known for a long time that my company doesn't provide any paid maternity leave I am starting to get really pissed off about it. It seems like every other pregnant woman I knew this past year received paid maternity leave. Why does my company have to be so male oriented. Anyone else frustrated and upset with the lack of federal rules about paid maternity leave?

 

None here. I have about 6 weeks of vacation (paid at part time vs. full time to stretch it out) saved up and then that's it. Lots of people can go on short term disability for 6 weeks post partum, but I don't have that either. I am planning on taking off until January, and then going back part time, so most of that leave will be unpaid. It makes me a bit mad as well. The US is way behind when it comes to this, I think in Canada every women gets one full year of paid maternity leave or something like that.

 

I won't get any paid maternity leave either. I have to use whatever vacation/sick time I've accumulated and then go to FMLA. So my time will be unpaid as well. It does really suck that here in the US there isn't a standard paid maternity leave like in Canada or Sweden.

 

I didn't get paid maternity but I did get short term disability. I think it was like 4 or 6 weeks at 80%...it's all a blur now but I guess it was something.

 

I don't get paid maternity leave, except for the sick/personal/vacation time I have accrued (which is currently 6 weeks). My company also does not have short term disability, so once I have to leave work, I will have 6 weeks paid, but that is it. We do have long term disability, but that does not kick in until you've been out for 6 months. I don't really believe it is the government's job to pay for a woman to take maternity leave, but I do think there should be better laws in place to protect her job for longer than 12 weeks. I think 12 weeks is way too early to leave an infant or two in someone else's care, and if you have to go on bedrest, they claim that your FMLA starts as soon as you leave, thus you could actually use up your FMLA before the baby/babies actually arrive. This is what is not fair.

 

I'm a teacher and I don't get any paid maternity leave unless I use my sick days...I have been teaching for 7 years so I have accrued about 70 days and that is what I am using right now for my FMLA-the babies aren't even here yet and once they are born I only get pd for 6-8 wks after that depending on what the dr says and if I have the days to cover it. The downfall is once you go back you don't have any days left to fall back on. You get 1 day a month that you work.
I agree that something more has to be done. If I stay out past the 12 weeks, I go out on unpaid maternity leave-my school district will hold my job for up to 2 school years. I guess I am lucky in that respect. In the business world, it is not fair that you have to go back after 12 weeks or lose your job. The whole maternity leave thing is frustrating!

 

I didn't get any. I saved up vacation/pto time for mine and then spaced it out by getting 1/2 paychecks every two weeks. (instead of 80 hours I got 40 hour paid every two weeks)

 

My company had short-term disability that was 60% of an employee's regular pay. It did not kick in until 20 days of being off of work. So, basically, if you want to be paid for those 20 days you need sick and vacation time to cover it and then try to save for the other 40% that short-term disability doesn't cover after that. Pretty lame. It's one of those things I would REALLY remember when looking at benefits from a prospective NEW employer. IMO, benfits, such as these, are really important when looking to retain employees. So, yes, I definitely agree with you.

 

I have never worked anywhere that offered paid maternity leave, and in order to get short term disability you have to apply for it when you are first hired and then wait a year. So for women like me that started working with our employer straight out of college, we never thought anything about short term disability. And in my state you only get 6 weeks unpaid maternity for a vaginal birth and 8 weeks for a C Section. I just went ahead and quit my job because I want to stay at home with my babies for the first year, after that I might go back to work, we'll see. I just know I wouldn't be ready to go back after 6 weeks.


Oh and also, down here you have to be with your employer for a full year before you are even eligible for maternity leave. So if you are pregnant when you get hired the company has no obligation to hold your job for you. I couldn't believe that was true, but it is.

 

i dont' even get maternity leave. or disability. all i could do was take a "leave of absence" for a total of 90 days. not paid. AND, my manager informed me that she would have to fill my position, and if there's a position open when i want to come back, she'll "consider me". the only reason i didn't just quit is because i have their insurance and i'm still paying employee rates.

 

In Canada we are very very fortunate that we do in fact get 1 year off paid maternity leave of approx 65% of your wages with a max cap. But from reading what everyone in the US gets we are definately spoiled here.

 

i am very lucky, as i work for a company that does have paid maternity and paternity leave for 6 weeks. but i do think that there should be mandated federal minimum paid leave, something along the lines of FMLA. i also don't think it should be paid for by the employers. i happen to know how much it costs my company to offer the paid leave for 6 weeks, and small employers would be broken by it. it is very expensive. so, why can't our federal government give full pay for 6 - 12 weeks post-delivery or post-adoption, along the lines of unemployment?

 

I won't get any paid maternity leave either; not one red cent. I think I might need to stop working early November (babies are due to arrive in December) and I have no idea how much time I will need to take off. Then the question is do I work just to pay for daycare??
It's very scary, the financial worries, the worries of two babies, etc. etc.
But, what we all need to keep in mind is that everything happens for a reason and this will all work out. Just remeber to Breathe. Breathe more consiously and more deeply, think of your gratitude and be patient.
Hang in there.
Leslie

 

I actually was looking for a new job and then found out I was pregnant... No big deal until then we found out it was twins! I have therefore not been working since people don't want to hire pregnant women to be special educators for Behaviorally Challenged students (although they can't say so legally). However, when I was pregnant with my daughter I did not get paid either. I got to use my sick time and luckily she was born in April so it was close to the end of the school year so I used my sick time until that ran out (about 2 weeks before the end of the school year).

It is frustrating not to have paid maternity leave, but I think it is pretty common in the US. I kind of wish that I lived in France so I could take the first 3 years off!!!

 

We don't get paid maternity leave either. Like most folks we have to use vacation/sick/personal then we've got short term disabilty. I should have about 8 weeks saved up by the time they're due (March) then I'll use STD for the other 4 weeks. STD, though, is less than 50% of our pay!! It's horrible!

 

This has been a very touchy subject for me.

I am an attny, and all of my attny friends get 12 weeks paid. My small firm had no leave policy (or disability insurance) when i got pg, so I asked for 12 weeks, like all my friends. The partners met and decided they would give me only 6 weeks, however -- that's total, not per baby (which would've been ok b/c it would've added up to 12 weeks).

i had the babies and stayed home 9 weeks. I got paid for the full 9 weeks and thought, wow, they must've come around since they knew how upset i was to get only 6 weeks.

i returned to work after 9 paid weeks and got a phone call - they would be docking my pay for 3 weeks to make up for the 3 weeks maternity pay they mistakenly gave me. I really don't know what is worse -- getting a much shorter leave than my industry norm, or getting paid, then being docked that pay afterwards. I should be grateful for the 6 weeks, but i am mad about how things worked out. I really feel horrible for those of you who get no paid time. This country is completely messed up in failing to legislate mandatory paid maternity leave. If I knew how to change that, believe me, it would be #1 on my agenda . . .

 

When I was working with my oldest DD and when I had the twins, the only paid maternity leave I got was what I had saved up with my sick days. Other than, you could take 12 weeks FMLA but not paid, unless you had saved the days. I'm sorry, unfortunately a lot of companies are like this. I worked for the public schools and they didn't even offer any paid maternity leave. It stinks!

 

Most businesses don't pay maternity leave. It's a sorry shame but they don't. The companies that do sure stand out and shine as far as having really family friendly policies. We own our business and we have no employees so when I go on leave we just are going to be making a lot less money and we will hire out a private contractor till I can jump back in. I am hoping to not have a c section so that I can go back to work straight away part time. We can't afford for me to be gone long and we will bring the babies to work with us some of the time and have grandma watch them the rest. We are also getting offers from friends to babysit. So I am excited for that. I took a year and a half off with my first one due to his special needs and such.

 

i wasnt going to get paid for my leave so i applied for disability because there was noooo way i was going to make ends meet with out pay

 

When I tried to advocate for myself and other women in the company they told me that I had to take my vacation and sick time, which we lose at the end of every year and that I would get NY State Disability.

Does anyone know what NY State Disability pays? $175/week. Seriously.

Well, I feel a little better knowing that I am not the only one suffering out there. I guess I just have alot of family and friends that work for better companies.

 

I get paid leave -- but it's considered disability. My company doesn't pay for the leave, the disability insurance company does.

My company pays part of my insurance premiums, but I have to pay for part of the disability insurance as well -- it's deducted out of my paycheck, like my health insurance.

Has anyone who isn't getting paid disability looked into buying their own disability insurance? Through AFLAC or another insurance company? I haven't, becuase I already have the insurance, but wondered how much it cost, and whether or not it would be worth it.

 

My company doesn't even offer any kind of disability long or short. The only people who get any kind of maternity leave is upper mangement, which happen to be mostly males.

 

QUOTE(Shannon123 @ Sep 12 2007, 11:02 AM) [snapback]404263[/snapback]
In Canada we are very very fortunate that we do in fact get 1 year off paid maternity leave of approx 65% of your wages with a max cap. But from reading what everyone in the US gets we are definately spoiled here.



WOW-it just goes to show you how behind we are in the US! 1 year paid! That is incredible!

 

I teach. I used all my sick time last year while I was out because of bed rest and grieving leave because I lost my son at 22 weeks.

So, I have three vacation days and then I am taking FMLA until that runs out (I am on bed rest) and then I will have to take a regular leave of absence until the 1st of the year when I can take 12 more FMLA weeks (I will probably take about 8 weeks). I did apply for long term disability and that will kick in in after 60 days...which will be about another three weeks or so, and then I should get a portion of my pay until delivery or until the Dr says I can go back I suppose.

 

oh ill be getting paid from 2 ppl and even if i use all my time is still covered by somebody..i work for verizon tho, they have great benefits

 

Over here every employer has to pay 6 months maternity leave and then you get 6 months unpaid before you have to come back. I think if i can remember it is 10 weeks full pay, 6 weeks half pay and then 8 weeks at £100 a week. I think this is such a good idea because it means women are not getting penalised (sp?) for having babies x

 

Hello all. In Oz our employers legally have to give 1 years unpaid - some provide paid leave but many dont. Govt employees usually do well tho - I have friends with 6 months paid leave whilst I get none. I try not to think about it!

 

QUOTE(akangel @ Sep 12 2007, 03:49 PM) [snapback]404902[/snapback]
Has anyone who isn't getting paid disability looked into buying their own disability insurance? Through AFLAC or another insurance company? I haven't, becuase I already have the insurance, but wondered how much it cost, and whether or not it would be worth it.



I spent months looking into this before I got pregnant. I found nothing that would come even close to paying me what I was making - nothing that would even make the premiums reasonable. Plus they all had very long wait periods (like I'd have to be out 3 months before they paid their paltry sums). The disability you get thru an employer is vastly superior.

 

I do not get paid leave but our company does have AFLAC. AFLAC will pay you 6 weeks for maternity leave (I forget how much it is, I think it is 1700.00 but I am not sure, it could be more). If you have the AFLAC hospital policy they will also pay 200.00 for the procedure of either having a vaginal birth or C-section. Also with the policy they will pay you a certain amount for each inpatient day you spend in the hospital. I have AFLAC through my company and our saleslady told me even if I left that company I could still keep my policies as an individual.
My company is going to pay me 6 months unemployment as well. After the babies are born I will not be returning to work the cost of daycare for two and commuting to and from to work(I commute an hour each way) takes up my whole weekly pay, so it is not worth it to go back.

 

I also have AFLAC. I am not too happy with them though. They came in to sign us up in May, and the rep said if you aren't pregnant right now this will cover you, he said there is a window of 10 months but as long as you aren't pregnant now you will be fine (I wasn't pregnant then) and then went thru all the cash you get for a c/s, time in hospital, time off work etc. When I found out I was pregnant, that 10 month window that started on June 1 means I can not give birth before April 1. This also means, it does not cover you for an early birth. So even if my due date was April 15 and b/c of the twins I go before April 1, I would be screwed. I missed the deadline by a month and lost out of aprox 6-7g. The rep suggested I cancel the policy. I was very mad and I talked to our office manager she called corporate for me and found out I will get 50% of my salary while I am on bed rest. Bed rest is mandatory for me. So Aflac almost talked me out of claiming some money. It's not a lot but it is something. If I was within the 10 month window, I think it would have been very helpful to have AFLAC. At least there is something rolling in.

 

While I do live in Canada, and the Canadian gov't provides for 1 year of parental leave, it only applies to people who work:ie, if you are self employed or run your own business or work as a contractor you are outta luck. I have ran my own business or been self employed for the past 6 years. As such, I am not eligible for mat leave or parental leave. My husband can take it, and because I am not, he is eligiable for the full 52 weeks. I had to find a new job in the last month, and no one wants to hire a pregnant lady. I ended up getting a seasonal position in a department store because they only hire until Christmas. After that, I'm out of work with no maternity leave. To me, this is a glaring omission on the part of the Canadian gov't. With more women running their own businesses, this really needs to be addressed.

 

QUOTE(trouble squared @ Sep 13 2007, 10:34 AM) [snapback]406001[/snapback]
I also have AFLAC. I am not too happy with them though. They came in to sign us up in May, and the rep said if you aren't pregnant right now this will cover you, he said there is a window of 10 months but as long as you aren't pregnant now you will be fine (I wasn't pregnant then) and then went thru all the cash you get for a c/s, time in hospital, time off work etc. When I found out I was pregnant, that 10 month window that started on June 1 means I can not give birth before April 1. This also means, it does not cover you for an early birth. So even if my due date was April 15 and b/c of the twins I go before April 1, I would be screwed. I missed the deadline by a month and lost out of aprox 6-7g. The rep suggested I cancel the policy. I was very mad and I talked to our office manager she called corporate for me and found out I will get 50% of my salary while I am on bed rest. Bed rest is mandatory for me. So Aflac almost talked me out of claiming some money. It's not a lot but it is something. If I was within the 10 month window, I think it would have been very helpful to have AFLAC. At least there is something rolling in.



I have AFLAC as well and I have had it for a while, so I don't have to worry about the waiting period. You mentioned getting 50% of your salary while on bed rest, were you talking about from AFLAC or from your employer? I have been wondering if AFLAC would pay anything when I have to go on bed rest. (I have the Short Term disability policy)

 

My company doesn't do paid maternity leave (most of them don't). However, normally, most companies will make you use any PTO (paid time off - vacation/sick, etc) as part of your maternity leave and then after that your time off is unpaid. Some companies also offer short-term disability too, but not all.

My one friend was complaining b/c her last job paid her 80% of her salary for 6 weeks of her 12 week leave. The company she is with this time around only pays 60% of her salary for up to 6 weeks. She was COMPLAINING!!!!! Are you kidding me, that's AWESOME!!!!! I've NEVER been paid for maternity leave. I consider her to have a GREAt benefit!

 

I read most of those posts but not all of them. haha, I got bored!
Anyways, can someone please explain step by step what process I have to go through to get my 12 weeks after the babies are born. I've looked online and read a lot too but am so confused still!
I just need a mom who has done it to tell me what application I need to print, etc. so I can have it all ready when my babies come!

 

QUOTE(itsnancycozzi @ Sep 13 2007, 02:05 PM) [snapback]405954[/snapback]
I do not get paid leave but our company does have AFLAC. AFLAC will pay you 6 weeks for maternity leave (I forget how much it is, I think it is 1700.00 but I am not sure, it could be more). If you have the AFLAC hospital policy they will also pay 200.00 for the procedure of either having a vaginal birth or C-section. Also with the policy they will pay you a certain amount for each inpatient day you spend in the hospital. I have AFLAC through my company and our saleslady told me even if I left that company I could still keep my policies as an individual.
My company is going to pay me 6 months unemployment as well. After the babies are born I will not be returning to work the cost of daycare for two and commuting to and from to work(I commute an hour each way) takes up my whole weekly pay, so it is not worth it to go back.


AFLAC is based on the amount that you sign up for. So, it depends on each personal policy how much you get for your time off. With the twins, I had a 3 month policy. It covers pregnancy complications adn birth. So, they covered the 7 weeks I was off for PTL and then they also covered 5 weeks after I had the twins (for a total of 12 weeks). My policy is for up to $2000 per month. So, with this pregnancy, if I'm off for 6 weeks, I'll get $3000...if I have a c/s and off for 8 weeks, I'll get $4000./