FMLA, Corporate Greed & Palin

Email Print posted by Average Jill 09/06/2008 11:12:33 PM EST

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The Family Medical Leave Act of 1993 allows employees to protect their jobs and request unpaid leave for their own medical conditions or that of a family member. I work in the medical records department of an HMO, and I get to see firsthand how much companies hate this law.

In order to apply for FMLA, you need to receive paperwork from your employer, then forward them to your doctor and then have the completed form submitted back to your employer or to your disability insurance company. Some companies have the doctor redo a form two or three times for more explanations or details. Some companies have unrealistic deadlines for submission of paperwork, including some employees receiving the blank form after the deadline for submitting the completed form. One company has the policy that anyone missing more than one day of work must submit paperwork for FMLA; if the form is rejected or not submitted on time, the employee is put under disciplinary action for absenteeism. (We get very busy during flu season.)

 

 I think you understand a little bit better now why I am nervous about having a woman who only takes 1-3 days off for childbirth in federal power. (1 day off for Piper, 3 days off for Trig, but that is only because he was born on a Friday.) FMLA was signed into law by Clinton, and I believe we are fortunate that Bush hasn't touched it. Would we be so lucky under McCain / Palin? Based on the popularity of her childbirth "war story", I don't think so.

 

What do you think?

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Poll

Would a McCain/Palin admin reduce FMLA?
No--They woundn't dare 0%
Yes--Republicans are getting bolder all the time 60%
Shh--Be quiet and don't put any ideas into their heads 40%

Votes: 5
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FMLA, Corporate Greed & Palin | 2 comments (2 topical, 0 hidden)
don't blame corporations, take action instead (none / 0)

we do not need laws or statutes like the f.m.l.a for one simple reason.

employees should simply stop working for companies that do not contractually offer medical leave benefits, and find employment at other companies that act in a more enlightened manner.

if enough employees did that, it will force all employers to clean up their act, and compete for the labor force by offering competing benefits.

instead, if your only instrument for handling such issues is federal law, you are opening yourself up to despotic regimes taking benefits away from you.

 

true, leaving a job because of bad pay, poor benefits, and unsavory working conditions, does mean that you have to tolerate some amount of hardship (in the interim before you find a better job, or you have to live on savings for extended periods of time). but nothing good ever comes without sacrifice. if you expect the government to always bail you out, especially in a "democracy" like the u.s.---where world-changing electoral choices are made by multi-generationally inbred retarded redneck rethuglican troglodytes, you will always end up in a situation where everything good you have in your life, every freedom and liberty you have come to value, will always be in jeopardy every 2year congressional election cycle.

don't live like slaves. fight back, and you will find employers sacred shitless into treating you with dignity. 

 

on the other hand, if you are so dispensible as an employee that your employer does not give 2 shits about firing you because you ask for better benefits, you don't deserve those benefits anyway.  not everyone on the planet gets to live anywhere close to the level of opulence of the typical u.s. citizen, and even highly deserving people whose only "fault" is the geographical accident of a "wrong" birthplace are not compensated justly. in such a world, a worthless u.s. employee does not get to complain and demand benefits that they do not deserve.

by neo on 09/07/2008 12:44:19 AM EST

You must work for a very small company (none / 0)

You cannot ask for an increase in benefits without making it across the board for everyone in the department, or perhaps company. The people who make such a decision are not your supervisor, but people in the board of directors far up the company chain. If you leave your job, they may never know why.

 

Also, there is the very common phenomenon of companies promising benefits and then not allowing you to use them.  In my company I am allowed to take three weeks of vacation a year. However, I am only allowed to have a day off if there is someone available to cover my position while I am gone. Every quarter, when I am allowed to put in my vacation request, I bcc the union rep so she can help when the request is denied. (The deadline this quarter for summitting requests is September 12th, for vacation October 1st thru December 31st.)

 

People who do not have a college education for whatever reason (my mom believed it was for boys only), do not have a lot of choices in employment. I am due to graduate with an AA degree in May, trying not to change benefits and jobs until after then, but I do not think I am going to make it. My position is wearing on me physically too much. When it is time for me to leave, my co-workers and my supervisor will wish me the best, but nothing at the company will change.

 

Some level of protection for employees is needed at the federal level. 

by Average Jill on 09/07/2008 06:37:18 AM EST

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FMLA, Corporate Greed & Palin | 2 comments (2 topical, 0 hidden)
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