Obama: 6 weeks paid sick leave for Feds

[Deleted]

Did I miss a discussion on this? He specifically called out maternity leave as something that should be paid...

www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2015/01/15/377509478/obama-shifts-federal-sick-leave-rules-urges-congress-to-follow

I fucking HATE that FMLA is 1) 12 weeks, 2) unpaid, 3) only applies to companies with more than 50 employees (small businesses are great for Anericanbut bad for mothers!)

[Brie]

It's a start?

Also, what the fuck is up with this:

The plan met with some criticism, including from Forbes contributor Tim Worstall, who predicted that the changes would result in lower pay and are unnecessary.

"Those who value the ability to take paid sick leave presumably have self-sorted themselves into jobs where they get it and those that don't haven't," Worstall wrote.

I...I can't even.

[Brie]

If this actually goes into effect I would be really interested to see research on whether it impacts public health positively as well. I imagine people with, say, the flu, would be more likely to stay home and therefore less likely to spread the virus if PTO and a job to go back to were guaranteed.

[july]

Paid maternity leave will happen after I have my kid. Bah, I support it so. Federal leave is designed for the male breadwinner.

[gretchenindisguise]

It's not going to happen. It should but it won't.

His proposal is basically requiring agencies to allow you to take 6weeks of advanced sick leave. Most agencies you can already do that, this just solidifies it. Depending on your earning rate, it can take 60 pay periods (aka over 2 years) to make that back up. 2+ years with no sick time...

He also said he is calling on congress to do 6 weeks of paid admin leave. Who sees that ever getting passed by our congress? I've got a bridge to sell you.

[gretchenindisguise]

And that quote makes me want to punch people.

[Deleted]

I was disappointed with the "we're wncouraginf states to do something similar." Well, my state legislature just adopted a dress code that ironically bans most female Fox News reporters from walking into the state house for daring to bare their elbows. So I'm sure that whole "do the right thing" is really gonna go well!

[curbsideprophet]

There is a thread in CEP discussing this issue.

If it is just the six weeks of advanced sick leave then not sure that really impacts many people. That is already an option for many Feds. For positions on the GS pay system the rate at which you earn sick leave never changes. So it can take quite awhile to get back to positive. I used advance sick leave with both my kids. I was back in the positive before I had DS, but I will basically be negative for the rest of this year. I think it would take about two years if you used the entire six weeks. I did not take the entire time as advanced leave either time.

Now passing the six weeks of paid admin leave would have a much larger impact.

[ssmjlm]

Obama once again is talking out his ass and thinks this will help his approval rating.

If they want maternity leave to be paid, push for it. Don't advertise something already available. And then make it sound like its amazing when as pp said, just puts us Feds into the hole.

I spent a good chunk of pregnancy explaining to people that fess don't have ML. That I had been saving my time in order to take what I did paid.

FTR I'm not a republican, but I am so tired of Obama having no understanding of how his own federal employees work.

[Jalapeñomel]

This will hurt all small businesses and put everyone out of a job. We shouldn't follow the rest of the world who manages to do this without bankrupting the country.

[Deleted]

I'm a fed. I took just under 6 mos leave each time. The first time I had saved enough sick and vacation time to get paid for about half of my leave. The second time I took the 6 weeks of advanced sick leave and my accrued leave to get paid for about half of my leave.

It will take me about 2 years to get back in the positive sick leave wise. The only reason this worked out ok for me is because my mom is now our nanny. This means I won't have to take sick leave when the kids are sick and when I am sick I can use annual leave. If the kids were still in daycare this would not have been a viable option. I would have had to use far too much of my vacation time home with them when they are sick.

[ssmjlm]

Jan 16, 2015 6:53:26 GMT -5 Jalapeñomel said:

This will hurt all small businesses and put everyone out of a job. We shouldn't follow the rest of the world who manages to do this without bankrupting the country.

I'm hoping this is sarcasm and I completely agree. Which is why it needs to start at the top. None of this wishy washy shit.

[AmyRI]

OMFG. THIS IS NOT ACTUALLY ANYTHING DECENT!

Don't get excited. It just means they'll front you 6 weeks, which you have to "pay back" as you normally accrue when you return to work. Which is just fucking impossible with small children that are in daycare. And many agencies, including mine, already do this. It was awful enough coming back with a 0 hour balance, but going -6 weeks in the hole? That means no more sick days for a year and a half after you return. NOT HELPFUL.

[rosebud]

Jan 16, 2015 7:04:42 GMT -5 @awinter said:

I'm a fed. I took just under 6 mos leave each time. The first time I had saved enough sick and vacation time to get paid for about half of my leave. The second time I took the 6 weeks of advanced sick leave and my accrued leave to get paid for about half of my leave.

It will take me about 2 years to get back in the positive sick leave wise. The only reason this worked out ok for me is because my mom is now our nanny. This means I won't have to take sick leave when the kids are sick and when I am sick I can use annual leave. If the kids were still in daycare this would not have been a viable option. I would have had to use far too much of my vacation time home with them when they are sick.

With DS 1 I used all my save SL and most saved AL to over 3 months. Then we moved when DS1 was 7 months and DH was unemployed, so I was able to not use any leave for 2 years. With DS2 I took a month and a half of LWOP to over the gap of a 4 month ML. Now DH is employed, so I have used 4 days of SL already this winter for DS2....I will have to go in the hole if we have 3, or take the majority as LWOP...

[Deleted]

Jan 16, 2015 7:51:31 GMT -5 rosebud said:

Jan 16, 2015 7:04:42 GMT -5 @awinter said:

I'm a fed. I took just under 6 mos leave each time. The first time I had saved enough sick and vacation time to get paid for about half of my leave. The second time I took the 6 weeks of advanced sick leave and my accrued leave to get paid for about half of my leave.

It will take me about 2 years to get back in the positive sick leave wise. The only reason this worked out ok for me is because my mom is now our nanny. This means I won't have to take sick leave when the kids are sick and when I am sick I can use annual leave. If the kids were still in daycare this would not have been a viable option. I would have had to use far too much of my vacation time home with them when they are sick.

With DS 1 I used all my save SL and most saved AL to over 3 months. Then we moved when DS1 was 7 months and DH was unemployed, so I was able to not use any leave for 2 years. With DS2 I took a month and a half of LWOP to over the gap of a 4 month ML. Now DH is employed, so I have used 4 days of SL already this winter for DS2....I will have to go in the hole if we have 3, or take the majority as LWOP...

I definitely took the majority of mine as LWOP. Which then meant all of my wgi were delayed because I took so much. Thankfully my agency and my bosses allowed me to take it though. So I guess that's something.

[AmyRI]

@awinter you are a brave woman, taking them up on this. I couldn't unless I knew DH was going to be a SAHD and could cover the kids at all times. It was a painful year crawling back from my 0 balances (sick and annual - I went on the leave donation program and had a week and a half donated by coworkers, but 7 weeks was LWOP and I had to use everything but a couple hours of comp time I had on the books). I wouldn't wish this system on my worst enemy.

[AmyRI]

Jan 16, 2015 7:54:16 GMT -5 @lcap said:

Jan 16, 2015 7:50:29 GMT -5 AmyRI said:

OMFG. THIS IS NOT ACTUALLY ANYTHING DECENT!

Don't get excited. It just means they'll front you 6 weeks, which you have to "pay back" as you normally accrue when you return to work. Which is just fucking impossible with small children that are in daycare. And many agencies, including mine, already do this. It was awful enough coming back with a 0 hour balance, but going -6 weeks in the hole? That means no more sick days for a year and a half after you return. NOT HELPFUL.

Yikes. I didn't know that's what it actually entailed. I wonder if Obama just went with this because he knew he couldn't get anything more substantial past the Grand ol Party of No? Lol

I guess it's a nice gesture, but it pisses me off because now plenty of people will read the headline and think Feds have it made and get paid mat leave, which they do not. We don't even have STD insurance available to us - we'd have to get an expensive private policy years before we get knocked up.

I'm all riled up now because the REAL work that needs to be done won't happen, because now there's been some "progress" and he can claim he's helped the working woman. I would have preferred that he put forward a REAL proposal to Congress and let them say no, and pin it squarely on their shoulders.

[Deleted]

AmyRI, I know. But like I said, and you confirmed, it was only possible because the kids aren't in daycare. If the kids were still in daycare no way! I'd be screwed with no sick time. I have one Co worker who took the 6 weeks advanced with her second because she was done having kids and figured she would take annual when her kids were sick. Yeah, she is now pregnant with number 3 and just maybe positive or still in the hole from number 2. I don't know what her plan is this time.

[mainelyfoolish]

Don't forget the Feds have no short-term disability, since they have the ability to save up all that sick leave. Oh, wait...

Hope no one suffers an significant illness or injury within a couple of years after giving birth. 

[Deleted]

I'm really, really fucking sick of this issue not feely being something we address in America. How the hell do we make this a Real Political Issue?

[AmyRI]

Jan 16, 2015 8:02:09 GMT -5 mainelyfoolish said:

Don't forget the Feds have no short-term disability, since they have the ability to save up all that sick leave. Oh, wait...

Hope no one suffers an significant illness or injury within a couple of years after giving birth. 

My former boss told me that the gov't has a built-in STD policy by letting you accrue sick leave forever, so "when you need it when you're old, you have plenty of time to use!"

I looked at him blankly for a while, and then asked what a woman is supposed to do for maternity leave? Since you can't exactly wait until you're 60 to start having kids.

Thankfully after that conversation, he actually thought about it. We've since had conversations about how he realizes that there SHOULD be some sort of paid parental leave and/or STD policy so that younger employees have a safety net, too. And he keeps me updated on any articles he sees in Gov't Exec about it. There have been several efforts to pass paid parental leave, but they didn't get very far thanks to the crappy political climate in this country.

[andthentherewere10]

I'm so pissed off. I need to leave.

[Deleted]

Jan 16, 2015 9:03:49 GMT -5 @this said:

Jan 16, 2015 8:53:38 GMT -5 @idaholakelady said:

I'm really, really fucking sick of this issue not feely being something we address in America. How the hell do we make this a Real Political Issue?

This is maybe dumb and definitely kind of self-indulgent, but I've been thinking about how/where I could share my recent experience (following through on leaving a job because they would only give six weeks unpaid).

Or if that's super narcissistic of me to think anyone would even care or think twice. lol

Not narsassistic! Valuable!

I don't know if there is there already an organization pushing for progress on this issue? Local chapter of the League of Women Voters or something?

Fuck, I'll start a Facebook page a central meeting place if that's what it takes...

[rex]

ffs obama. stop being so wishy-washy and DO SOMETHING.

if you want 6 weeks of paid maternity leave (how advanced of us...not) just fucking say so!

we need more (liberal) people (women) under the age of 60 in congress.

[Jalapeñomel]

Jan 16, 2015 7:43:02 GMT -5 ssmjlm said:

Jan 16, 2015 6:53:26 GMT -5 Jalapeñomel said:

This will hurt all small businesses and put everyone out of a job. We shouldn't follow the rest of the world who manages to do this without bankrupting the country.

I'm hoping this is sarcasm and I completely agree. Which is why it needs to start at the top. None of this wishy washy shit.

Totally factious. 

[niq]

Jan 15, 2015 23:59:19 GMT -5 gretchenindisguise said:

He also said he is calling on congress to do 6 weeks of paid admin leave. Who sees that ever getting passed by our congress? I've got a bridge to sell you.

I just assume everything Obama says that requires congressional action is positioning for 2016.

Which is why this seems like a weak opening bid. Maybe Hillary will be in favor of 12 weeks, which would be not great but not terrible.

[niq]

Jan 16, 2015 11:22:41 GMT -5 Jalapeñomel said:

Jan 16, 2015 7:43:02 GMT -5 ssmjlm said:

I'm hoping this is sarcasm and I completely agree. Which is why it needs to start at the top. None of this wishy washy shit.

Totally factious. 

Omg, it was so deadpan you almost got me!

I agree that the headline is super misleading. It seems like it's just codifying that you can go into the negative on sick leave, which lots of feds can already do. Eh.

I just hope that this stays high profile through the 2016 election. The other big issue - immigration, more universal child care, climate change - just seem even harder to make progress on.

[gretchenindisguise]

Jan 16, 2015 6:16:56 GMT -5 ssmjlm said:

Obama once again is talking out his ass and thinks this will help his approval rating.

If they want maternity leave to be paid, push for it. Don't advertise something already available. And then make it sound like its amazing when as pp said, just puts us Feds into the hole.

I spent a good chunk of pregnancy explaining to people that fess don't have ML. That I had been saving my time in order to take what I did paid.

FTR I'm not a republican, but I am so tired of Obama having no understanding of how his own federal employees work.

I spent a good chunk of pregnancy explaining to my BOSS that feds don't have ML. No m'am, that's just leave - not maternity/paternity leave.

Also - I really really really really really wish that they would call it parental leave. It needs to not be a women's issue - it needs to be a parent issue because people don't care about women - they care about men - and men are parents. I think it'd get more traction if it wasn't just something we were giving to the women folk.