No maternity leave?

[nskjerven]

How sad to leave your 2 day old baby! Wonder what family leave would be like if it was the men giving birth to the babies?

sorry to mislead, I didn't leave her, I work from home, I just had a nanny very early, and since my work was really pressing, DH "stayed home" for us to get comfortable with the nanny. I have what I think is the best of both worlds, I stayed home with them all the time and worked. I know this isn't for everyone, but it worked for me and I worked hard to make it work.

 

[TinkerbellMama]

I have to use whatever sick or vacation I have, nothing more is paid. I can take short term after a certain period of time though.

That's how it was for me. However, I had worked there for five years and never used a single sick day, so as it turned out, I got a completely paid leave from my job! Also, in RI we have mandatory TDI (short-term disability) we pay into, so I did apply for that (since I paid in--and had no choice to opt out) and got about 2/3 of my pay from that fund. BUT, since that money wasn't taxed, it was pretty close to what my actual take-home pay had been. Also, the OB certified me for 12 weeks instead of the usual 6-8, so I got paid TDI longer than most people. I have no idea why he did that. He didn't even know me (I had an emergency c/s out of State and never met the guy until a few hours before he cut me open)! So I was getting paid from two sources while on maternity leave and was getting MORE than my regular pay!
Another note: they KNEW I wasn't coming back to my job. But they told me to collect all the benefits, then let them know a couple of weeks before my leave was up that I definitely wouldn't be returning. So they were really great about the whole thing.

Of course, next time I have a baby, I'll get the big fat goose egg since no one pays SAHMs squat!

 

[bumbershoot]

I'd just like to say that this is very very different than how maternity and parental leave. I think the way that you've described maternity leave working sucks!

In Canada, you can take a whole year off after/during/before you've had a baby. The government foots the bill so you continue to have some income. There are two types of leave. 1. Maternity Leave and 2. Parental Leave. Both can (and most often are) used in combination. Maternity Leave is for working parents and can be taken for 15-17 weeks. Then Parental Leave kicks in for 35 weeks. On top of that, you are entitled to 2 weeks vacation time.

For more info: http://www.canadaimmigrants.com/maternity.asp

I think if I were in the US I would be demanding more of the government around this issue. It sounds to me like they hardly get involved.

Well, I believe your taxes are much higher than ours, yes? And I think our taxes go for some different things than ours...we can't quite seem to put money into places that I deem Good Things...they all seem to go towards yucko things. IMO.

A friend of mine in Edmonton mentioned that after that year, she had to go back to work for a certain amount of time before she could have taken more time for another child. Is that true? I think that would be how they make sure people aren't milking the system.



EG, is your company small? Too small for FMLA?


At my former job, I had to take unpaid leave to go to my mom's funeral, and first they made me use up ALL of my sick and vacation time. (while my boss called and emailed me every day asking when I was coming back) This was in early March of that year. I came back with NO time left whatsoever. I felt that was insane, and was leading me down the path of being fired for getting sick later in the year. I rallied, and got paid back, and that time was unpaid.

But then they changed the handbooks.

A couple years later, with the same crazy-making boss, I was going, well, insane. Anxiety, ulcers were starting, depressed, it was horrid. I ended up taking FMLA for myself...first you have to use any vacation or sick time you have, and then go into the unpaid FMLA.

And that was the same for the pregnant women who used FMLA...had to use up the paid time first, then the FMLA, then disability if you felt like it (I could never imagine doing that, unless I had become actually disabled, but many many others at the company had NO problems doing so, even if they weren't planning on returning).


But I figure that EG's company is too small to fall under FMLA.

 

[DisneyGirl4188]

We have to wait two weeks until STD kicks in. During that time we use our vacation time. After STD dispability stops (6 weeks) then we can use sick/vacation time we have left. We are allowed up to 12 weeks under FMLA.

I'm not sure what DH's company's policy is. They did say that he can have 3 days off after the birth (I'm hoping this is true) and then he can use vacation time if he wants to take longer off.

 

[addicted_to_WDW]

I work for the federal government and as someone mentioned upthread we have no maternity leave. We may use a combination of our sick leave, annual leave, and leave without pay up to the 12 weeks allowed by FMLA. If you have a load of leave, you can pretty much take as much time as you can cover and most people plan so that they can be paid for 3-4 months.

The government also allows people to donate their annual leave (vacation time) to people who need it. We can't donate our sick leave. Every day we get a list via email of people who need leave, many for very serious medical conditions. Then there are the people who, "had a baby and is in need of 400 hours so she can stay home with the baby." Um, no. I'm not giving you my leave for that.

 

[LisaNJ25]

No company I have ever worked for paid me directly for my maternity leave.. I always went though disability. 10 weeks for ******l-12 for c-section.

I did end up going to work at a new job when my oldest was 3 weeks old. He was 2 weeks late so my disability ran out to fast.

 

[vetrik]

I hate thinking about this. My company is too small to qualify for FMLA, but I think they would let you take the 12 weeks and not give away your position (my last job was also too small, but they followed the same idea). We only get 5 sick days and 2 weeks vacation (unless you've been there over either 5 or 7 years) that you cannot carry over, so there's no way to save up leave or sick time to add to your paid time off. We do have state disability that usually pays 6 weeks, or 8 weeks for a c-section. I guess if I had a c-section, and used all my vacation and sick time I could have 11 weeks paid (but I better not need any other time off that year!).

I interviewed for a job last month that had a paid maternity leave - I was really hoping to get it since we're thinking of having a family in the next few years, and that would be fantastic (in addition to other reasons I wanted the job of course). Unfortunately, it fell through.

 

[Laura]

I work for an employer with some pretty great benefits. We are able to carry over our vacation and sick leave, it doesn't disappear at the end of the year. I've saved 740 hours at this point, which is 18.5 weeks, 13 weeks of which is sick leave. Also, we have the ability to donate our sick leave to other people if they need it so they can get paid if they don't have enough time to cover the 12 weeks. Plus we have a really great daycare in the building.

 

[mickeyboat]

Just to make it clear - FMLA is UNPAID. Your position is guaranteed, but your company does not have to pay you. And yes, employers must meet a certain threshhold number of employees before FMLA applies.

For disabiltiy insurance, it is not taxed if YOU pay the premiums. If your employer pays the premiums, it is taxed. And I am pretty sure either way Social Security and Medicare are still taken out (7.65%).

Short term disability policies often have waiting periods. They want to avoid paying claims for someone taking only a couple days off for a cold. Some will retroactively pay for the waiting period, check with the insurance company or HR.

Our company has paid maternity leave for 21 days (I think paternity is 5 days). Our company also pays for short term disability, and offers quite a bit of paid vacation time. We can't carry it over, but we could save it for maternity leave if we wanted to. Don't forget that STD policies usually limit payment on an uncomplicated ******l birth to 6 weeks.

Denae

 

[Christine]

I hate thinking about this. My company is too small to qualify for FMLA, but I think they would let you take the 12 weeks and not give away your position (my last job was also too small, but they followed the same idea). We only get 5 sick days and 2 weeks vacation (unless you've been there over either 5 or 7 years) that you cannot carry over, so there's no way to save up leave or sick time to add to your paid time off. We do have state disability that usually pays 6 weeks, or 8 weeks for a c-section. I guess if I had a c-section, and used all my vacation and sick time I could have 11 weeks paid (but I better not need any other time off that year!).

I interviewed for a job last month that had a paid maternity leave - I was really hoping to get it since we're thinking of having a family in the next few years, and that would be fantastic (in addition to other reasons I wanted the job of course). Unfortunately, it fell through.

I work for a VERY small company and we aren't rolling in cash; however, we found about about 10 years ago that it is pretty inexpensive to offer our employees short term disability. In fact, it is FREE for the company as we make the employees pay the premium. If the employee pays the premium, the STD benefit is non-taxable. It works great. The highest an employee can pay is $14 per pay period for the insurance and, in the 10 years we've had the plan, the premium has never gone up. Some of our lower paid employees pay about $8 or $9 per pay period.

We had to ask our company to do this and they did. You may want to broach it with your benefits manager (I know that's no so easy to do sometimes) but it really costs very little and provides a huge benefit when needed.

 

[mamacatnv]

California also has CFRA which is a state addon to FMLA that allows you to take an additional 8 weeks (above the 6) where your employer must keep your job for you. So although you only collect 6 weeks of SDI benefits, you can take another 8 weeks off without compensation if you choose. CFRA has the same eligibility requirements as FMLA.

These are all great benefits but ultimately who is paying for them? The employees thru taxes. I was born and raised in California and when I moved to Nevada it was a huge culture shock. NV. does not have state income taxes, my property taxes are under 2K on my 350K home, my DMV fees are cheap in comparison and our sales tax is at 7%.
In exchange Nevada does not offer any type of state disability and "social" programs are very limited. I purchased and pay for my own short/long term disability policy to protect my income in the event I ever need to. My DH's employer offers both Short and Long term as an employee benefit. Personally, I prefer it this way. My financial destiny is somewhat in my hands and I am not supporting the decisions of others to the extent that occurs in other states with larger social programs and generally much higher taxes.

 

[Mr. & Mrs. Smith]

Could a woman have a baby every year or two? I don't want to hijack this thread,, but I mean this as a serious question. I just don't see this working in the USA (a year of paid maternity leave with each child).

I'm all for paid maternity leave as long as there is equivalent sick leave/family leave (e.g., if a person could have a year's paid leave to care for an elderly family member). I just don't understand how the system wouldn't get sucked dry in the USA.

As someone has already clarified, the funds for EI in Canada do not get sucked dry. We actually have a surplus. I can't see how it wouldn't work in the US. People pay in and get back some of the money that they have payed in. You could have a baby every couple of years and collect EI if you work enough hours in between and pay in enough money.

I guess if we don't like the services our government will pay for we could complain or perhaps we could look to live in another country and have them paid for us?

I don't feel this is a government responsibility to fund my choice of having a family.

Ultimately the services that are paid to people are paid for by people. TAXES!!!!! I'd rather make decissions for my money than have a government make it for me. Of course I realize this is opening up this topic to debate what our government spends tax dollars on, but frankly that isn't something that I will debate, as I also feel that we don't have the input on those choices either. Guess I'd be happy in my own country/island...perhaps Castaway Cay would be a good spot for me

I think you are completely misunderstanding how this system works in Canada. The money paid out for maternity and parental leaves DOES NOT come from taxes. It comes from Employment Insurance which every worker pays into. Employment Insurance can be used for a variety of situations, not just babies. We are the ones making the decisions about this.

Well, I believe your taxes are much higher than ours, yes? And I think our taxes go for some different things than ours...we can't quite seem to put money into places that I deem Good Things...they all seem to go towards yucko things. IMO.

A friend of mine in Edmonton mentioned that after that year, she had to go back to work for a certain amount of time before she could have taken more time for another child. Is that true? I think that would be how they make sure people aren't milking the system.

Yes, you can't just stay on EI indefinitely. I have no idea if our taxes are higher to tell you the truth but taxes have nothing to do with EI (hence nothing to do with maternity and parental leave).

I see that a lot of people are skeptical to this system but I think it might be that many people don't understand how it works. I would say that most Canadians would praise it for giving parents the chance to parent their very young babies if asked.

 

[Freyja]

Wow. And parents here are complaining. Here, everyone woman gets 3 months, every dad gets 3 months and then there are 3 months the parents can decide how to use (mom uses all, dad uses all or they split it up). All in all a 9 month maternity leave, paid at 80% of your salery. You can also choose to cut the payments in half and then the parents can be on maternity leave for 18 months, if they wish.

 

[mommasita]

Wow. And parents here are complaining. Here, everyone woman gets 3 months, every dad gets 3 months and then there are 3 months the parents can decide how to use (mom uses all, dad uses all or they split it up). All in all a 9 month maternity leave, paid at 80% of your salery. You can also choose to cut the payments in half and then the parents can be on maternity leave for 18 months, if they wish.

That is great...I think it should be encouraged!!

 

[Mr. & Mrs. Smith]

Wow. And parents here are complaining. Here, everyone woman gets 3 months, every dad gets 3 months and then there are 3 months the parents can decide how to use (mom uses all, dad uses all or they split it up). All in all a 9 month maternity leave, paid at 80% of your salery. You can also choose to cut the payments in half and then the parents can be on maternity leave for 18 months, if they wish.

Sounds similar to what we do here in Canada. Also, if you watch Sicko you'll see what they do in France. It's awesome. The government sends someone over to do your housework so that you can have more time with baby or to babysit so you can have a break!

 

[mommasita]

Sounds similar to what we do here in Canada. Also, if you watch Sicko you'll see what they do in France. It's awesome. The government sends someone over to do your housework so that you can have more time with baby or to babysit so you can have a break!

We have that here. Our local CLSC comes and will stay and help out as much as you want...

 

[Mr. & Mrs. Smith]

We have that here. Our local CLSC comes and will stay and help out as much as you want...

That's awesome! What's a CLSC?

 

[mommasita]

That's awesome! What's a CLSC?

It is a Community Service Clinic...

We have one in each city, and they MUST come visit you at least once, to make sure you have everything you need, and if you don't, they will provide it. Whether it be for the baby, or food for the house...

If you wish, they will come after that. I did not, but my BF did, and she loved it. Especially when she had her 2nd, it gave more time to spend with the older child, and sometimes just to rest.

I firmly believe in this. I know I was sleep deprived, and if I had no help, I would have gone nuts. This could easily reduce PPD..

 

[DznyLvr2005]

I think Maternity Leave is a state thing. I know at my job we don't get paid for it, but can get 'disability' through the state for 6 weeks. Work in NJ.

 

[merryweather20]

being self employed I can't understand the concept of not being able to work for 6 weeks. My business wouldn't survive if I opted for that when I had my first DD. Being self employed did allow me enough income to have a nanny for her in those early weeks too, but I paid for it.

Granted not everyone could be "ready" to work before 6 weeks, but I don't think it's because they aren't physically able to, so why would a doctor not release a person back to work.

With my first I was at my desk two days after giving brith, with my 2nd I waited a week.

I guess if we don't like the services our government will pay for we could complain or perhaps we could look to live in another country and have them paid for us?

I don't feel this is a government responsibility to fund my choice of having a family.

Ultimately the services that are paid to people are paid for by people. TAXES!!!!! I'd rather make decissions for my money than have a government make it for me. Of course I realize this is opening up this topic to debate what our government spends tax dollars on, but frankly that isn't something that I will debate, as I also feel that we don't have the input on those choices either. Guess I'd be happy in my own country/island...perhaps Castaway Cay would be a good spot for me

EI from which maternity leave is paid is completely separate from taxes and actually runs at a surplus. People pay for their own services out of their EI deductions.

Everyone assumes taxes are higher in Canada, but Its happened more than once where I've had to run the numbers for work and they were dead even or Canada was less.