Those are your choices, made by you to have the life you CHOSE.  Why is that the fault of your employer to pay for that?   Leave time I can see.  Paid leave time ??????   Did you boss ask you to have the baby or did you decide to have a baby.     Flex time great.  work from home great.   Pay you to stay home because you choose to have a baby????? No way.      I think that we should have sociallized medicine.  I think oil and energy should be regulated and not traded as open commodities.  I think that if you get extra paid time off because you made a life choice then every single person or non parent should get the SAME AMOUNT OF PERSONAL TIME.   Of course I am the person that everytime the smokers took a break to go smoke I went with them because if they get a smoke break every 2 hours (smoking is the most addictive thing on the planet 80-90% addiction rate heroin is 50%) Then I should get the same break.   I was almost fired.  Not the smokers though.  So WHAT THE HELL.  You are not entitled to be paid for your choice or I am entitled to the same amount of extra leave and pay.  I will take either though.   The planet is over populated anyway and have a baby is just about totally irresponsible.  But you probably think a hybrid car will save us all too.  http://www.environmentnc.com/?p=71  Sorry to go so far off track as I totally believe that there are really people out there that need our help and my money WAY MORE then someone  WHO CHOOSES to have a baby.   Should I pay for you off time or take that same money and give it to a batterned woman;s shelter.   I would rather give that money to abused people who;s lives have been shatered not by their choice.   There is only so much and it has be to spent wisely.  Personally I am giving my money to people who have had their lives affected not of their own volition.   Would I give you time off to have your baby  OH HELL YES.  Will I pay you  while I pay someone else to do your job until you return  NO.

On Jan 11, 2008 1:48 PM, <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

I am pretty sure that the United States does not require paid maternity leave for anyone, regardless of your employer.

See this fact sheet:
http://www.dol.gov/esa/regs/compliance/whd/whdfs28.pdf

On a personal note, I just took maternity leave over the summer, and was able to cobble enough sick and vacation time together that I only had about $500 worth of unpaid leave at the end. Although now I have very few vacation or sick days, which is a little difficult with an infant at home!

I would encourage anyone considering having children, pregnant, or with children to request above the minimum required by law for family leave. While I didn't have any paid leave, I was able to negotiate a flexible schedule for when I returned, which allows me to work at home 2 days of the week for 9 months. The more people ask for it, the more employers will feel obliged to offer it!

I believe it is a travesty that the US does not require any paid family leave--maybe a new occupant of the White House will change that!

Good luck to all of you struggling with these issues from someone who's been there! I'd be happy to talk more with anyone interested off-list.

Best,
Sara

Sara Hignite, Chief Registrar
Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum
Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts
Washington University in St. Louis
One Brookings Drive, Campus Box 1214
St. Louis, MO 63130
Tel. 314.935.5385; Fax 314.935.7282
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