Post by tacosforlife on Nov 2, 2015 11:59:48 GMT -5
The bolded infuriates me. I essentially have a similar system at my job right now. I can work extra to earn comp time, which I then use in lieu of my annual leave or sick leave when I need to take time off. It takes approximately 60 pay periods - which is over two years - of NEVER using annual or sick leave to accumulate 12 weeks' of combined annual and sick leave. So if you want to take any time off, whether for a vacation or a doctor's appointment or an actual illness, prior to using your 12 weeks' of accumulated sick and annual leave, you have to work EXTRA just to not touch that time. The bottom line is that women who give birth either don't get to take annual and sick leave at the same rate their male coworkers do or they take their maternity leaves without pay. The whole thing is bullshit and infuriating. I don't think asking for 12 weeks of paid time off while you recover from GROWING ANOTHER HUMAN BEING is that ridiculous. And there are ways to not make it an unfunded mandate. Ryan just doesn't want to address them.
And his whole I'm-just-a-normal-guy-who-wants-a-balanced-life schtick is also infuriating. You can DEMAND work-family balance because you have POWER. What about the millions and millions of Americans who do not have the power to demand such balance? What are you going to do for them?
House Speaker Paul Ryan pushed back against calls to expand paid family leave in a series of interviews televised Sunday, saying his commitment to spending weekends in Wisconsin with his family doesn't mean he's signing on to supporting "some new unfunded mandate."
In the interviews, the Janesville Republican also discussed efforts to defund Planned Parenthood and repeated comments he made in a conference call with Wisconsin reporters Friday that he wouldn't pursue immigration reform this year or next because the GOP "cannot trust" President Barack Obama on the issue.
Just three days after being elected speaker, Ryan appeared on all five major Sunday morning news shows.
Democrats have been pushing Ryan to back paid family leave legislation after he said he would not give up time with his family to become speaker. At a Monday news conference in Racine, which is in Ryan's district, they called on him to put the issue up for a vote in his first act as speaker.
When asked on "Fox News Sunday" whether he would make paid family leave legislation a priority, Ryan stressed he was referring to spending weekends with his family and constituents in Janesville.
"I don't think people asked me to be speaker so I can take more money from hardworking taxpayers to create some new federal entitlement. But I think people want to have members of Congress that represent them, that are like them," Ryan said. "Don't you want your member of Congress to be a citizen legislator who lives with you, among you, who has your own kinds of concerns, who wants to spend time with his children on Saturdays and Sundays?
"That I think is what most people want in their life, is a balance. So if you're asking me because I want to continue being the best dad and husband and speaker I can be — getting that work-life balance correct — means I should sign up for some new unfunded entitlement, that doesn't make any sense to me."
Ryan made a similar comment to CNN's Dana Bash on "State of the Union," saying, "I don't think that sticking up for being a person with balance in your life, for wanting to spend your weekends in your home with your family ...I don't think that means signing up for some new unfunded mandate."
Some Democrats have called it hypocritical that Ryan refused to give up his family time for the speaker job while blocking legislation that would require employers to offer paid family leave.
Eligible workers currently are able to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid time off for illnesses or a new baby while still having their jobs protected under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act. Some companies choose to offer paid leave, while others do not.
The United States is one of just a few countries that do not guarantee paid family leave. Obama has been pushing to change that, and in his 2015 State of the Union address he called on Congress to send him a bill that would give every worker in the country the opportunity to earn seven days of paid leave.
While opposing such legislation, Ryan cited his support for the "Working Families Flexibility Act," which would allow private-sector employees to use their earned overtime toward paid time off, but it would also mean their sacrificing time-and-a-half overtime pay.
"I think we've had some pretty good legislation on flex time," Ryan told CNN's Bash. "And that's a bill that I think is a great idea."
Comments criticized
U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, called his comments "disappointing."
"It's great that Speaker Ryan can speak so openly about his family time, which no one, especially me, can fault him for wanting," she said Sunday in a written statement. "But it's disappointing that he refuses to extend that right to all Americans."
'Level the playing field'
She added that Ryan and other Republicans should try to help "level the playing field for American workers."
"Paid leave is an earned benefit, like unemployment insurance, that will represent a savings for the economy and for the workers who today are footing a bigger bill to take care of themselves or their family," she said. "We have to get to a place where elected officials actually walk the walk on the policies most important to middle class Americans and working families."
Planned Parenthood
Ryan also was asked about Republican efforts to pull federal funding from Planned Parenthood and said he didn't think the group should get a "red cent" from taxpayers.
"I think we need to be very clear about what we can and cannot achieve and not set expectations that we know we can't reach given the constraints of the Constitution," Ryan told CNN's Bash.
He added that a special committee investigating Planned Parenthood was just getting started and "should be in the driver's seat of overseeing this process."
Ryan also stressed that he would continue to live in Janesville and commute to work in Washington, D.C., and said he would continue sleeping on a cot in his office on Capitol Hill.
"I'm just a normal guy," Ryan said. "I just work here. I don't live here."
Post by One Girl In All The World on Nov 2, 2015 12:05:21 GMT -5
Dear Mr. Speaker:
ETA: That really is about all I can muster here. I am just so over the screams of "UNFUNDED ENTITLEMENTS!!!!"
I mean WTF with this shit: "That I think is what most people want in their life, is a balance. So if you're asking me because I want to continue being the best dad and husband and speaker I can be — getting that work-life balance correct — means I should sign up for some new unfunded entitlement, that doesn't make any sense to me."
How about creating the same goddamned opportunity for the rest of the country so we can all be the best husband/wife/partner/mother/father/human being we can. How about stop treating issues like this as different when they apply to YOU, Mr. Speaker of the House.
How do you called paid family leave an entitlement? That's the most Republican way to think about it that I can imagine. He's disgusting.
ETA: Another thing. I don't get overtime. I'm salaried. I haven't looked at my policy because I haven't had a kid yet... but what am I supposed to do? Just take what I get which could well be nothing? Bullshit.
How do you called paid family leave an entitlement? That's the most Republican way to think about it that I can imagine. He's disgusting.
ETA: Another thing. I don't get overtime. I'm salaried. I haven't looked at my policy because I haven't had a kid yet... but what am I supposed to do? Just take what I get which could well be nothing? Bullshit.
How do you called paid family leave an entitlement? That's the most Republican way to think about it that I can imagine. He's disgusting.
ETA: Another thing. I don't get overtime. I'm salaried. I haven't looked at my policy because I haven't had a kid yet... but what am I supposed to do? Just take what I get which could well be nothing? Bullshit.
Don't forget that the GOP opposes raising the salary threshold at which someone can be salaried!
How do you called paid family leave an entitlement? That's the most Republican way to think about it that I can imagine. He's disgusting.
ETA: Another thing. I don't get overtime. I'm salaried. I haven't looked at my policy because I haven't had a kid yet... but what am I supposed to do? Just take what I get which could well be nothing? Bullshit.
Don't forget that the GOP opposes raising the salary threshold at which someone can be salaried!
Post by downtoearth on Nov 2, 2015 12:32:13 GMT -5
So again, he and the GOP have leaders that think industry and business will pick up the slack where the government can't.
And why not? They have such model companies like Uber stiffing their "contract drivers" for pay and Hobby Lobby not providing medical coverage anytime they decide it's too religious (cough*expensive*cough), and let's not forget most of the Fortune 500 companies which are primarily run and managed by white men - they have been so quick to implement family leave policies and work-life-balance. ^o)
How do you called paid family leave an entitlement? That's the most Republican way to think about it that I can imagine. He's disgusting.
ETA: Another thing. I don't get overtime. I'm salaried. I haven't looked at my policy because I haven't had a kid yet... but what am I supposed to do? Just take what I get which could well be nothing? Bullshit.
yup. I got 4 weeks paid at 2/3. Which is a shit ton better than nothing. But...yeah. You know what's also REALLY REALLY hard to do? Hoard your sick and PTO while KTFU. Because you've got doctor's appointments constantly, plus you're exhausted so nothing sounds better than working those extra flex time hours, right?
I'm guessing his wife doesn't work b/c his narrow view/definition of this issue makes me want to save my next placenta and ship it to his office.
I was lucky enough to hoard enough to cover FMLA, but you better believe I get tired from a lack of time off and jealous of other CWs. Personally, I would have liked to take more time off but in my office FMLA sets an expectation of what's "reasonable" and any more is asking too much.
How do you called paid family leave an entitlement? That's the most Republican way to think about it that I can imagine. He's disgusting.
ETA: Another thing. I don't get overtime. I'm salaried. I haven't looked at my policy because I haven't had a kid yet... but what am I supposed to do? Just take what I get which could well be nothing? Bullshit.
In a nutshell, yes.
When I had B, I had FMLA. So 12 weeks unpaid. No STDL.
I had to use every scrap of sick and vacation that I had carefully hoarded for nearly two years.
That only covered 8 weeks. I was lucky in that they shut down between Christmas and new years, so I had an additional week of PTO.
I took the remaining 3 weeks unpaid.
And then I had no vacation or sick time for half of 2011 (their fiscal year ended in June, so my bank was full again in July). So I had to take all of those early well baby & vaccination appointments as unpaid as well. And then any time he was actually sick (like when he developed RSV at 4 months) was also unpaid.
Post by penguingrrl on Nov 2, 2015 12:58:46 GMT -5
How nice to see him supporting a policy assuming people have paid time off to begin with. Because those working three jobs to make ends meet, none of which will give them enough hours to receive benefits, certainly don't need time off for a physical recovery from birth let alone time to bond with their new baby.
How do you called paid family leave an entitlement? That's the most Republican way to think about it that I can imagine. He's disgusting.
ETA: Another thing. I don't get overtime. I'm salaried. I haven't looked at my policy because I haven't had a kid yet... but what am I supposed to do? Just take what I get which could well be nothing? Bullshit.
In a nutshell, yes.
When I had B, I had FMLA. So 12 weeks unpaid. No STDL.
I had to use every scrap of sick and vacation that I had carefully hoarded for nearly two years.
That only covered 8 weeks. I was lucky in that they shut down between Christmas and new years, so I had an additional week of PTO.
I took the remaining 3 weeks unpaid.
And then I had no vacation or sick time for half of 2011 (their fiscal year ended in June, so my bank was full again in July). So I had to take all of those early well baby & vaccination appointments as unpaid as well. And then any time he was actually sick (like when he developed RSV at 4 months) was also unpaid.
This bullshit infuriates me. I'm luckily in a really great situation with my job, but Mr. Smock gets 1 week paid paternity leave, and 2 weeks vacation a year. None of which rolls over year to year, so he can't accumulate extra vacation/sick time for paternity leave. He has three extra days of vacation this year, and his company won't let him save them for paternity leave in April 2016. So once again he's taking unpaid leave, which thankfully we can financially afford.
I'd love to make Speaker Ryan push a human out of his body and then try to hobble back to a minimum wage job two weeks later because he can't afford parental leave and the government doesn't think it's a priority.
When I had B, I had FMLA. So 12 weeks unpaid. No STDL.
I had to use every scrap of sick and vacation that I had carefully hoarded for nearly two years.
That only covered 8 weeks. I was lucky in that they shut down between Christmas and new years, so I had an additional week of PTO.
I took the remaining 3 weeks unpaid.
And then I had no vacation or sick time for half of 2011 (their fiscal year ended in June, so my bank was full again in July). So I had to take all of those early well baby & vaccination appointments as unpaid as well. And then any time he was actually sick (like when he developed RSV at 4 months) was also unpaid.
This bullshit infuriates me. I'm luckily in a really great situation with my job, but Mr. Smock gets 1 week paid paternity leave, and 2 weeks vacation a year. None of which rolls over year to year, so he can't accumulate extra vacation/sick time for paternity leave. He has three extra days of vacation this year, and his company won't let him save them for paternity leave in April 2016. So once again he's taking unpaid leave, which thankfully we can financially afford.
I'd love to make Speaker Ryan push a human out of his body and then try to hobble back to a minimum wage job two weeks later because he can't afford parental leave and the government doesn't think it's a priority.
Well, I'll take what happened with B (9 weeks paid, 3 unpaid) over what happened with S, which was fired and no weeks paid and having to job hunt and interview while still bleeding with stitches still in place.
How nice to see him supporting a policy assuming people have paid time off to begin with. Because those working three jobs to make ends meet, none of which will give them enough hours to receive benefits, certainly don't need time off for a physical recovery from birth let alone time to bond with their new baby.
QFT.
As pissy as I get about my situation - particularly when I see my male colleagues using their leave without any of the anguish I feel over using even a fucking hour of leave - I recognize that I still have it pretty damn good compared to most women in this country. I have the option of working extra hours each week to avoid dipping into my annual and sick leave when I do take time off. Barring something unexpectedly catastrophic, I will have saved up 12 weeks' worth of paid leave by the time I have a baby. And if I need more time because of a complication or something else, we have three sets of family we can turn to for modest financial assistance.
But millions of women have no paid time off. Or they have very little and it gets used up on actual sick days, leaving them with little to nothing when a baby is born. And not everyone has friends or family who can give or loan them money.
And this is why I said in the original thread about Paul Ryan and family leave that I sure as shit will criticize a social conservative for ignoring the needs of other people's families. Sixty percent of women who have abortions already have a child. In the same interviews where Paul Ryan stated that he opposes any sort of mandated family leave, he also said that Planned Parenthood shouldn't get a cent of federal money. So let's think this through: the GOP opposes the Affordable Care Act, which expanded access to affordable contraception to many women. The GOP opposes any funding for Planned Parenthood. And the GOP opposes any sort of mandated paid family leave program. So what, pray tell, are women supposed to do?
In all seriousness, this man is my representative. I think I need to pull out a pen and paper for some choice words.
I think you should definitely highlight cookiemdough's point that the taxpayers make his work-family balance possible, so it's ludicrous to oppose the same for his constituents.
How nice to see him supporting a policy assuming people have paid time off to begin with. Because those working three jobs to make ends meet, none of which will give them enough hours to receive benefits, certainly don't need time off for a physical recovery from birth let alone time to bond with their new baby.
Why are these people having babies?? They should just get abortionsuse birth control not have sex, ever.
In fact, your elected officials in Washington work about a hundred days less than you do.
The House is scheduled to be in session in Washington a total of 133 days this year. The Senate will be in session about the same amount or a few days more.
But if you’re an ordinary American worker with two weeks of vacation and federal holidays off, you’re likely clocking in around 240 days a year at the office.
Of course, when lawmakers are on recess, it’s often considered a “work week” in their districts –- but they’re not getting much legislating done away from the nation’s capital. And though lawmakers often participate in constituent meetings and fundraisers, they’re not actually required to work at all. In fact, the summer break is mandated by law, though members could postpone or abridge it if they really wanted to.
But they’re still paid for the days they’re in recess –- and with a taxpayer-funded base salary of $174,000 a year, that amounts to about $16,000 for the summer break alone. And party leaders make even more.
How nice to see him supporting a policy assuming people have paid time off to begin with. Because those working three jobs to make ends meet, none of which will give them enough hours to receive benefits, certainly don't need time off for a physical recovery from birth let alone time to bond with their new baby.
They shouldn't be having babies in the first place. HTH.
How nice to see him supporting a policy assuming people have paid time off to begin with. Because those working three jobs to make ends meet, none of which will give them enough hours to receive benefits, certainly don't need time off for a physical recovery from birth let alone time to bond with their new baby.
QFT.
As pissy as I get about my situation - particularly when I see my male colleagues using their leave without any of the anguish I feel over using even a fucking hour of leave - I recognize that I still have it pretty damn good compared to most women in this country. I have the option of working extra hours each week to avoid dipping into my annual and sick leave when I do take time off. Barring something unexpectedly catastrophic, I will have saved up 12 weeks' worth of paid leave by the time I have a baby. And if I need more time because of a complication or something else, we have three sets of family we can turn to for modest financial assistance.
But millions of women have no paid time off. Or they have very little and it gets used up on actual sick days, leaving them with little to nothing when a baby is born. And not everyone has friends or family who can give or loan them money.
And this is why I said in the original thread about Paul Ryan and family leave that I sure as shit will criticize a social conservative for ignoring the needs of other people's families. Sixty percent of women who have abortions already have a child. In the same interviews where Paul Ryan stated that he opposes any sort of mandated family leave, he also said that Planned Parenthood shouldn't get a cent of federal money. So let's think this through: the GOP opposes the Affordable Care Act, which expanded access to affordable contraception to many women. The GOP opposes any funding for Planned Parenthood. And the GOP opposes any sort of mandated paid family leave program. So what, pray tell, are women supposed to do?
HARPY RAGE ACTIVATE!
Well clearly only rich women with a security net can have sex. It's such an easy answer!
How nice to see him supporting a policy assuming people have paid time off to begin with. Because those working three jobs to make ends meet, none of which will give them enough hours to receive benefits, certainly don't need time off for a physical recovery from birth let alone time to bond with their new baby.
Why are these people having babies?? They should just get abortionsuse birth control not have sex, ever.
As pissy as I get about my situation - particularly when I see my male colleagues using their leave without any of the anguish I feel over using even a fucking hour of leave - I recognize that I still have it pretty damn good compared to most women in this country. I have the option of working extra hours each week to avoid dipping into my annual and sick leave when I do take time off. Barring something unexpectedly catastrophic, I will have saved up 12 weeks' worth of paid leave by the time I have a baby. And if I need more time because of a complication or something else, we have three sets of family we can turn to for modest financial assistance.
But millions of women have no paid time off. Or they have very little and it gets used up on actual sick days, leaving them with little to nothing when a baby is born. And not everyone has friends or family who can give or loan them money.
And this is why I said in the original thread about Paul Ryan and family leave that I sure as shit will criticize a social conservative for ignoring the needs of other people's families. Sixty percent of women who have abortions already have a child. In the same interviews where Paul Ryan stated that he opposes any sort of mandated family leave, he also said that Planned Parenthood shouldn't get a cent of federal money. So let's think this through: the GOP opposes the Affordable Care Act, which expanded access to affordable contraception to many women. The GOP opposes any funding for Planned Parenthood. And the GOP opposes any sort of mandated paid family leave program. So what, pray tell, are women supposed to do?
HARPY RAGE ACTIVATE!
Well clearly only rich women with a security net rich husbands can have sex. It's such an easy answer!
This is such bullshit. I'm a salaried employee who doesn't earn overtime or comp time. My PTO caps at 200 hours. The 200 hours includes Federal holidays which come out automatically. So, we're down to 160 hours assuming I don't need any sick days or days off to take care of a sick DS. How the hell is that going to cover my mat leave in Feb? It won't. So, I use all the PTO, the first week of which runs concurrently with my STD policy as the "elimination period," and collect 66% of my salary for the other 5 weeks of my STD. That leaves me with another month unpaid. It's ok though. I'm sure I can tell the mortgage company that I'm working on my work/family balance and they'll let me skip the payment that month. GMAFB.