FMLA IS a right (albeit crap compared to most of the rest of the civilized world). They just find ways to screw people out of it
Comment on They wonder why nobody wants kids anymore.
Treczoks@lemmy.world 3 hours ago
“Donated sick days”? WTF? Sick days should be a right. Maternity leave should be a right.
PattyMcB@lemmy.world 3 hours ago
shawn1122@sh.itjust.works 19 minutes ago
For people outside of the US, FMLA is up to three months of unpaid leave where you get the privilege of getting to keep your job and your benefits (though you continue to pay for them while not being paid).
For many American women, this is all they have access to for maternity leave. So they power through those three months then have to scrap together the cash to put their 4 month old in day care ($15 to $20k annually) while not getting paid for the quarter of the year.
Around 40 to 45% of women in the US don’t even qualify for FMLA because your employer needs to be large (50+ employees) enough and you need to have worked for them long enough to qualify (usually a year).
Blue states fill the gap with their own state run programs (still usually only three months, though you get some pay) but if you’re in a red state the choice for many women is 1) have children and enter financial ruin or 2) don’t have children.
America lags behind most advanced economies in this regard and there isn’t any sign these circumstances will get better.
HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 2 hours ago
the right to take the time off, not the right to be paid for it.
sin_free_for_00_days@sopuli.xyz 44 minutes ago
Back when I was a teacher, we could “donate” a number of sick days to a pool that would help other teachers who ended up with long term health issues. And yes, you are correct.
Flax_vert@feddit.uk 21 minutes ago
That’s the employer’s responsibility, not yours