Join date : 2010-01-30 Location : Oak Park, Michigan Posts : 23201 Rep : 330
Subject: Should the U.S. guarantee paid parental leave? Mon Feb 28, 2011 9:58 am
What do you think? If an employee is having a baby, and takes their maternal/paternal leave, should they have that time off with pay?
Quote :
Thinking about taking just a little time off to have a baby? Well, if you live in America, you might be out of luck.
The United States, Swaziland and Papua New Guinea are the only countries with no legal guarantee of paid parental leave, a Human Rights Watch report said on Wednesday, according to Reuters.
Of the 190 countries studied in the report, 178 guaranteed paid leave for new mothers, putting the U.S. decades behind the rest of the world in this important category.
According to Reuters, about half of all Americans are covered by the federal Family and Medical Leave Act, which allows employees with newborn children to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave.
But here's the problem: Most people can't afford to take unpaid leave. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that only 11 percent of American workers have the option of taking paid medical leave.
"Leaving paid leave to the whim of the employers means millions of workers are left out, especially low-income workers who may need it most," Janet Walsh, deputy women's rights director of Human Rights Watch and the author of the report, said in a statement.
Only two U.S. states -- California and New Jersey -- have public paid leave insurance programs, according to Reuters. Should the rest of the U.S. join them?
RedBedroom …is a Chamber DEITY.
Join date : 2010-02-18 Posts : 10696 Rep : 312
Subject: Re: Should the U.S. guarantee paid parental leave? Mon Feb 28, 2011 11:00 am
I don't think that they should take the time off and be paid. But I do think that a new parent should be able to take off 12 weeks instead of 6. The way I see it, if they can do without someone for 6 weeks, they probably can for 12.
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