Maternity Leave

QUOTE(ddancerd1 @ Sep 12 2007, 09:59 AM) [snapback]404251[/snapback]
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.

I dont think your boss can legally do this-FMLA is a law that protects a women's job for up to 12weeks, all employers have to abide by this, they dont have to pay you but they do have to give you your job back or at least a position that is compareable to what you had before you left.

 

QUOTE(Lesley Anne @ Sep 27 2007, 05:34 PM) [snapback]426238[/snapback]
I dont think your boss can legally do this-FMLA is a law that protects a women's job for up to 12weeks, all employers have to abide by this, they dont have to pay you but they do have to give you your job back or at least a position that is compareable to what you had before you left.


Actually it depends...there are three conditions that need to be fulfilled before an employer is mandated to offer FMLA:

1) You need to have worked for your company for 1 yr or longer
2) You need to have worked for more than 1250 hours in the preceeding year (this is where I got burned...part-timer)
3) The employer needs to have 50 or more employees within a 75 mile radius (actually, I didn't fulfill this part either....)

Angela

 

QUOTE(twinzmom2b @ Sep 27 2007, 01:18 PM) [snapback]426211[/snapback]
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./



This is GREAT news for our family. That means I can get 4-6 weeks (depending on c/s or not) additional pay I was not expecting (assuming I will be put on bed rest at some point). Now if I get put on bed rest it will not stress me out so much if I know I will have some money coming in. Yippee!!!

 

QUOTE(Jentwinmom @ Sep 27 2007, 01:11 PM) [snapback]426196[/snapback]
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 employer is paying me too, but that is only b/c I work for great people at a small firm. Aflac is just extra. Since I missed out on the 10 month pre-existing period, the only thing I qualify for is the bed rest supplemental insurance. You might have to call Corporate on this b/c even my local rep. didn't know we get money for our time on bed rest. The amount you receive is based on how much you make. Good Luck!

 

Check out: http://www.momsrising.org/maternity
Momsrising has a book /dvd on exactly this subject.

I am lucky in that even though my company does not provide paid leave, I teach at the university level and was able to negotiate paid leave because my due date and time off would prevent me from returning to work after 6-12 weeks (I can't start teaching a course halfway through the semester and cited that it was unfair -- I can't conceive according to the academic year, you know). I did have to give up all of my accumulated sick time (2 months) and negotiated "work" from home projects that must be completed (I still don't know how I'm going to finish it all). And, I am attempting to complete a third year of a second master's degree to boot (in order to get a promotion). I must be crazy because now that my twins are home, I'm lucky if I have the chance to eat.

It was then that I learned that the US is like third to last on the list of countries that offer leave (but no pay). The US is an embarrassment when it comes to paid maternity leave and working/professional mothers.

Men should also get paid paternity leave too. With twins, all the help is needed.

If you live in MA, you get twice the FMLA leave with twins (but still no pay though).

It's time for a change. Write or call your congressperson(s) and senator(s). The subject has come up before on the hill.

 

I agree, Juniper! My wife is Swiss and is realizing just how backward the USA is when it comes to maternity leave. In Switzerland she'd be getting 6 months paid leave from the government.

If the government can cough up trillions to fund an endless war, they can find some money to invest in the future (i.e., children). Our government's lack of concern for mothers and public schools should tell us a lot about what they think of our children and future generations.

I agree with whomever wrote that we should be writing our legislators and demanding they start thinking about this issue.

 

I have some life insurance that pays if I'm out of work. I've been getting this type of disability since I was 13 weeks pregnant. I'll get it until Dec.

 

I got short term disability at 100% of my salary for the first 6 weeks (which turned into 10 because my c-section incision didn't close properly)...

The US is actually the 3rd lowest nation behind N. Korea and a middle eastern country (that I can't remember now) as far as paid maternity leave is concerned...its because the US wants you to either be a mom OR a worker but not both....

oh and the kicker is that DH and I work for the same company - so if he wanted to take FMLA (which technically he's entitled to even though it would have been unpaid) we would have had to split it and I would have only 6 weeks of job security....how much does that suck!

 

I am so glad I'm not alone in how maternity leave for work sucks! My company also does not pay for anything everything comes out of my own accumalated sick/vacation time and STD.

I was just put on bed rest and had a horrid day with my HR. My 40 week is the end of Last week of November (if I make it that long), this is how it breaks down for me:

I get my 12 weeks of FMLA which starts the day I leave for bedrest (which is today)

I have to use 7 day vacation till Short Term Disability Kicks in.
I then get 6 week of STD at 100% of my pay
after that STD will drop to 60% for 19 weeks - with my vacation/sick leave covering the other 40% (if the babies come anytime during any of the STD then standard regulation of 4 week for natural and 6 weeks for c-section preempt the 19 weeks)

I am due back to work December 19th - which is the day FMLA ends for me for my job security. I cannot add my vacation or sick leave to extend my maternity leave, SO... if the babies make it to 40 weeks I could be home with them a TOTAL of 3 weeks!!!!! Which has left me in tears!

LUCKLY, I talked to my manager and he is also p*ssed about this policy and since I will be back right before the holidays he's letting me come back for 1 day then take off till January 10th to give me aleast one more month at home, since over 1/2 of my office will be gone for the holidays anyway.

I never could believe that FMLA and STD could be so difficult and work against me.

 

i work for my family tire company and we have less than 20 employees so i will not be getting a penny while on maternity leave. i'm not happy about it i do think that every woman no matter where you work should get some kind of maternity leave pay!

 

QUOTE(Lesley Anne @ Sep 27 2007, 01:34 PM) [snapback]426238[/snapback]
I dont think your boss can legally do this-FMLA is a law that protects a women's job for up to 12weeks, all employers have to abide by this, they dont have to pay you but they do have to give you your job back or at least a position that is compareable to what you had before you left.

90 days is 12 weeks and as bad as it sounds it is legal for them to hire someone else if you are not back within 12 wees.

 

I am self-employed so I made sure to save up 3 months' pay so I can pay myself while I am off work. It wasn't easy, but thankfully, I was able to put the money away, hire someone to subcontract for me while I am out and will get those 12 weeks I think I will desperately need!

 

I work for the US govt and got no paid maternity leave. I had to use my vacation and sick days, then went leave without pay under FMLA for about 6 weeks. I am the family breadwinner, so we had no income for 6 weeks. I agree that it sucks.

 

:icon_eek:

I am absolutely flabbergasted!

I had no idea that there wasn't a statutory maternity leave pay in the US.

In the UK, from April of this year, working mothers get 9 months paid maternity leave. I'm a teacher so I get paid my full wage for more weeks than most, and then go onto around £100 per week for the remaining few months of leave. We can then take the remaining time up to 12 months unpaid, returning to our previous post.

And here was me complaining that we Brits don't get additional time off/ pay for having twins...