Maternity Leave

llcoolay · January 2009

Anyone from CA?

CA seems to have the best maternity leave laws. I will be getting one month prior to the birth and then 20 weeks post birth........also, fully paid....my company supplements what ever CA doesnt pay. This is also job secured as well!

I keep seeing these posts about people working until their 39th week and only getting 6 weeks leave Etc and Im just wondering....Is CA maternity leave really that much better or do people not understand the laws?

NewMrs07 · January 2009

I need to move to California, lol. Better yet, to Sweden, where I think women get 2 years of government-paid maternity leave. How great is that!!! They def. have to do something about maternity leave in this country. No wonder less and less couples are having children.

ljlkm · January 2009

Only 6 states have any kind of maternity assistance (besides federal FMLA). Can you believe it?

kristin329 · January 2009

California does have excellent maternity/paternity. I work in MA and my husband works in CA, he telecommutes half the month. He is going to be able to take almost 6 months and paid, with the bonding time and some other crap. Federally under FMLA we all get 12 weeks but that does not have to be paid, it's all about your employers benefits or your time that you have accumulated. Where I work in Mass I can take 6 months with FMLA and friendly family policy but it will only be paid by what sick, vacaction and personal time I have. Since I had an illness I do not have alot of time saved. If I am lucky I will have maybe 5 or 6 weeks paid and the rest will be unpaid maternity. Luckily my husbands will be paid, not always at full salary but enough for us to live.

Several years ago Massachusetts almost passed a law where we would get some type of unemployment benefit for 12 weeks. Almost does not cut it though.

SFAug07 · January 2009

I am in California but haven't looked into it. I haven't told at work yet. Another benefit living here...:-)

jennandjt · January 2009

kristin329:

California does have excellent maternity/paternity. I work in MA and my husband works in CA, he telecommutes half the month. He is going to be able to take almost 6 months and paid, with the bonding time and some other crap. Federally under FMLA we all get 12 weeks but that does not have to be paid, it's all about your employers benefits or your time that you have accumulated. Where I work in Mass I can take 6 months with FMLA and friendly family policy but it will only be paid by what sick, vacaction and personal time I have. Since I had an illness I do not have alot of time saved. If I am lucky I will have maybe 5 or 6 weeks paid and the rest will be unpaid maternity. Luckily my husbands will be paid, not always at full salary but enough for us to live.

Several years ago Massachusetts almost passed a law where we would get some type of unemployment benefit for 12 weeks. Almost does not cut it though.

I wish I had known about that law going up for vote.....damn....that'd be a great thing, smart too!! Since we pay into it we should be able to use the unemployment for things like maternity leave......I'm a nanny, so nothing on this end.....no pay, no sick or vacay time to accrue....for whatever time I'm out I doh't get paid. Hoping we are in a better financial situation come September....meaning I hope my unemployed union carpenter of a husband has been put on a long term job!!

llcoolay · January 2009

SFAug07- make sure that when you do inquire about leave that you ask about not only the FMLA but the "bonding time" too..I forget the actual name of the leave, I think its called CMLA?

robynlesley · January 2009

If I didn't work for my parents and if this wasn't their first (and possibly only, esp. as my brother is a tough one re: dating) grandchild, I'd be going back to work after two months?and I wouldn't be paid for my maternity leave. In NJ, you have leave, but unless your job has over 50 employees you aren't necessarily paid for it.

I'll probably work until my 39th week, if I'm up to it and the doctor allows. I'm going to take 3 months basically (will go to work for a few hours one or two days after my 2nd month) and will be able to take the baby to work with me for a few months. So I have some leeway... but I'm grossly underpaid and I guess my parents feel that this will alleviate some of my tension. But it's going to be hard.

llcoolay · January 2009

Hey Robyn- Thats why i moved form Jersey 7 years ago! Ha! Not really why i moved but where in Jersey are you from? Although I live in SD now Im from Monmouth county..........born and raised

robynlesley · January 2009

Hey llcoolay ? I grew up in Morris County, so not too close to where you were from. I'm currently living in Basking Ridge. I like New Jersey overall but I'd prefer the maternity leave that Sweden has. Wink

llcoolay · January 2009

Yes...Swedan as well as Canada I beleive! If I cant move to another country than CA is alright.....I cant beleive the crappy ML that most states have!

Kandie35 · January 2009

My friend's domicile is in CA and she was telling me how great the maternity laws are there. She is a flight attendant so her doctor immediately put her on medical leave and the state pays her throughtout the entire pregnancy and for however long after the baby is born. That is nice. I, however, live in Ohio and worked up until the day before i gave birth to my last son. I had no paid maternity leave whatsoever. They had to let me take the 12 wks off without firing me bc of the FMLA . I did have two weeks of vacation time that I used but the rest was unpaid. It is wrong and inhumane to do that to women, new babies, and families.

Renate67 · January 2009

I live in Ontario Canada, I get 12 months maternity leave.. I can't believe that is not the norm in the USA, how do you do it? I can't imagine having to go back to work after only 5 monthsmuch less 6 weeks, that's crazy! Hopefully that'll change eventually..

kristin329 · January 2009

Wow Canada has a great maternity leave. I did see a special on other countries and Canada was included. I guess US does not value the family as other countries do. It's sad.

stfne · January 2009

I wish we had better leave policies in this country. I get 6 weeks paid at 60% of my salary. Anything after that is either unpaid or I have to take vacation/personal days/etc. My fiance doesn't get any paid time at all...he's just going to take a week's vacation after my leave is up. I'm grateful for what I do get, but overall it's not a great deal.

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