Where's the family value in FMLA?

My daughter Jenny sent me a link to a story she really wanted me to read.  It has sat untouched in my email for days.  FMLA, or Family Medical Leave Act, just wasn't sparking my interest, but because it sparked hers, I finally opened it today.  I am glad I did.

It's well written with historic references. My favorite kind of article.

It took me back to the days when getting pregnant meant no more job.  I remember those days. Male boss to pregnant woman: Have a nice life. See yah.

That attitude remains, but FMLA at least protects women and their partners for 12 unpaid weeks of leave. Well, that is if one is lucky enough to be among the 59 percent of workers eligible for FMLA because their workplace has 50 plus employees. The other 41 percent are outta luck. Wait, what year is this?

The author writes about the legislative origin of FMLA. The process described was akin to watching sausage being made: ugly. She rightfully credits Democratic Congresswoman Pat Schroeder of Colorado for getting the whole thing started.  I liked that part as it's been eons since I had the privilege of reading about one of my heroes.

Schroeder speaks about her disappointment with FMLA's lack of progress. She initially proposed six months with pay but accepted the 12 weeks unpaid leave as a place to begin, believing it would expand into something more family friendly.  Twenty years later, FMLA is frozen where it began. Nothing has changed.

It's frustrating and personal. Both my daughters - Andrea and Jenny - are teachers who have gone without a paycheck during maternity leaves - two for both. Jenny bought some disability insurance that helped cover some, but not all, of her leave.  Currently on leave, she is paying the district out of pocket for health insurance because there's no paycheck from which the giant and unfeeling computer can suck out money automatically. Andrea has never taken more than a six-week leave. But, get this, after she ran out of sick days but was still at home recovering from C-sections, she was CHARGED 300 bucks a day (deducted from her pay!).  All the while her full-time substitute teacher was paid just $90 a day.  It would seem, and I am not as brilliant as my daughters at math, but there's $210 a day for a couple of weeks unaccounted for here. 

Stepping back down from my soap box, I accept that there are differing perspectives. I get we have, as a nation, placed undue burdens on employers to provide social nets such as health insurance and pensions.  But it's not like those things aren't already calculated into the bottom line.  And what about all the tax cuts/incentives that more than make up for worker support?  Corporate welfare? Don't get me started about public institutions and wasted money.

Maybe the hang up is in a rickety and aging business model mindset that says any worker leave is bad leave and must be resisted. Certainly not supported or encouraged. Ever. To those who hold a negative opinion about paid leave, I say consider thinking about it as you would a sports team. Take the Dallas Cowboys for example. Tony Romo sat out most of last season. Was his leave paid? I'm pretty sure it was.  No worries because Jerry Jones made sure the team had backups. This may be a bad example. Point is, did Jerry lose money? Hell to the no.  Did he value Tony even during the time he wasn't working? He never stopped seeing Tony's value to the team, and rightfully so.

A deep bench or access to talent has always been an option for employers. Always. A company that has dozens of workers is smart enough to figure out how to fill a job gap.  There is no need to make it harder on families because they want, well, to have a family.

I, as always, have hope. In fact we may be on the verge of realizing a paradigm shift in regards to worker leave.  The FMLA article also pointed out that a whopping 12 percent of workers actually now get paid during their entire 12 weeks of leave. Like the Cowboys, these workers are seen as valued even during their leave, which translates into increased loyalty and productivity. Again, this may not be the right example.

You get the idea. While the 12 percent number may not exactly be crushing barriers, at least it's a starting point. Now, where have we heard that before?


FMLA article:
http://mashable.com/2015/01/25/maternity-leave-policy-united-states/#VXgW8VrnOkqR

Trump's time is coming

I didn't think it possible to have soft feelings toward Ted Cruz.  But it has happened in just the last few minutes.

Donald Trump is accusing Cruz' father of having JFK assassinated. He says he is shocked that a photo showing Rafael Cruz standing next to Lee Harvey Oswald two weeks before Oswald shot the president is not front-page news.  That statement is cunning and calculated and cruel and cowardly.

Cunning in its deceit. Trump is exceptionally skillful in this area of achieving one's ends through unscrupulous means.

Calculated in its delivery. FOX News obligingly allowed Trump to call in by phone to its morning show to drop the bomb without challenge.  Smart move.

Cruel to the Cruz family in its disregard for anything resembling the truth.

Mostly, that statement is cowardly coming from a grown man who lacks the conviction to stand and defend the statement.  Instead he uses FOX News to be his defender and then victoriously stands back to watch Cruz squirm as the story grows legs.

My hope, and for sure I am hopeful, is that Trump will get his in the general election. I'm not talking about karma. I'm talking about Hillary.

On a shame-loss diet

I am obese. It's not a nice word. I would prefer plumb. Maybe if we replaced the word with something nicer, people would be less judgmental, including those of us who are .... pick one: chubs, plus-sized, heavy, stout, plump.

I have spent most of the last 20 years feeling shame and embarrassment about my expanding girth. It hasn't helped. And now because I likely have less than 20 years left of my life, I am committed to shedding not the weight, but the shame.

The advantage I have in this mission is total and absolute acceptance from my immediate family. First there's my darling husband - and supplier. He likes to bake and watch people eat. And it turns out I like to eat what other people bake. After 40 years, it most certainly has added up.

My loyal children. I would take a bullet for each and every one of them. They have always been kind in words and generous in their support. I currently am doing Weight Watchers with two of them.  While my stated goal is losing shame; I still want the health benefits of shedding some pounds.  So do my back and knees!

Now enter the grandchildren. My oldest doesn't want me to change body size. She has said that many times. Kids hate change in general; they also like those bear hugs, and for sure the larger the grandma, the squishier the hug.

I understand how I got here. I've known for years and years. Like for most of us over-sized people, it's a combination of factors: addiction, emotions run amok, DNA, fridge and pantry filled with homemade treats.

 For me going forward, how I got here is beside the point. In the words of our next president, "What difference does it make?!"

I am plump and dammit I am OK with that!