Apparently, corporate America's commitment to working parents had conditions

The pandemic-era "golden age of employee benefits" is over.

At least, that's the message some employers are sending as companies like Deloitte and Zoom slash paid parental leave and other family-friendly benefits.

And make no mistake, employees are paying attention.

Musings on dead dogs and terminated managers

We are no longer taking ANY EXCUSE for calling off. If you're sick, you need to come prove it to us. If your dog died, you need to bring him in and prove it to us. If it's a "family emergency," too bad. Go work somewhere else.

That was part of a written message an Olive Garden manager in Kansas recently delivered to his staff. The message that Olive Garden corporate delivered to that manager — "You're fired."

Paid family and medical leave reportedly DROPPED from Biden’s economic plan

I was so hopeful when I learned that Presiden Biden's economic plan included paid family and medical leave. Then we heard reports that two Democratic Senators, West Virginia's Joe Manchin and Arizona's Kyrsten Sinema, were holding up the bill over its reported $3.5 trillion price tag. That led to reports that the paid family leave allotment would be cut to only 4 weeks, still a transformational change for American employees and employers, but significantly less than that which any other industrialized nation provides its employees.

Now, it's being reported that Democrats have eliminated paid family leave from the bill entirely to appease Manchin and get a bill passed. From NBC News:

Coronavirus Update 8-23-21: I’ll have a side of Covid with my burger, please

PERRYSBURG, OH — @InsideTheFive is a cool brewery started by two NFL vets. Great food and spirited waitresses!

Even though Brianne was sick today, she came to work because she knew they were short servers.

These are the type of American workers that make our country strong. pic.twitter.com/o0VFkDkjuo

— Josh Mandel (@JoshMandelOhio) August 20, 2021

That is perennial political loser and 2022 Senatorial candidate Josh Mandel tweeting in support of a local restaurant. 

No, you don’t get to keep your paid leave after your position is eliminated

The headline reads, "Trump aides made a late request to Team Biden to extend their parental leave. They said no." Here's the story:

[A] number of ex-Trump political officials … lost their parental leave when Joe Biden was sworn into office. It's a byproduct of the field they're in: Their boss (the president) may have been the one let go, but his departure has meant that they, too, lose their jobs and benefits. Still, they argue that the Biden administration should have honored their leave by keeping them on payroll until the end of it — a request that … the Biden transition did not grant.

One such employee, Vanessa Ambrosini, welcomed a new baby the week before Christmas, and was looking forward to parental leave through mid to late March. "I got completely screwed," she says.

No, Vanessa, you didn't. What you got was unemployed, a fact of which you should have been well aware since at least November 7. In fact, you should have been aware of it for more than a month before you started your maternity leave. It seems to me these employees are trying to take advantage of the consequences of which they were well aware in an attempt to make the new administration look bad. I don't buy it.

BREAKING: House passes broad coronavirus stimulus and relief package, including paid sick and family leave

It’s been 12 days since I asked if coronavirus the thing that will finally make paid family and sick leave a national reality. Twelve days in the COVID-19 news cycle feels like 12 years. Regardless, I am happy to report that in the very early hours of this morning, by a bipartisan vote of 363-40, the House passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, sweeping legislation that will provide myriad emergency relief to businesses and individuals, including paid family and sick leave.

Shortly after the House passed the bill, President Trump tweeted his support, virtually assuring a swift run through the Senate and his signature.

Is coronavirus the thing that will finally make paid sick a national reality?

As of this morning, there are 88 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the United States, with two deaths. According to the CDC, one of the best measures people can take to prevent the spread of the virus is to stay home from work when they are sick. Yet, as noted by CNN, “for workers who don’t have paid sick leave, staying home when they aren’t feeling well can be financially devastating.”

What is the Advancing Support for Working Families Act, and why doesn’t it go far enough?

During last night’s State of the Union Address, President Trump announced his endorsement of the Advancing Support for Working Families Act.

Whether we are Republican, Democrat, or independent, surely we must all agree that every human life is a sacred gift from God. As we support America’s moms and dads, I was recently proud to sign the law providing new parents in the federal workforce paid family leave, serving as a model for the rest of the country. 

Now I call on Congress to pass the bipartisan Advancing Support for Working Families Act, extending family leave to mothers and fathers all across our nation.

Share or Retweet if you care about paid parental leave

Earlier this week, Republican Senators Joni Ernst and Mike Lee introduced the Child Rearing and Development Leave Empowerment Act (the CRADLE Act). It is a first step towards providing some measure of paid parental leave to American workers. Yet, it has some serious flaws.

President Trump calls for federal paid family leave during State of the Union

Yesterday was the 26th anniversary of the Family and Medical Leave Act being signed into law. During last night's State of the Union Address, President Trump called for Congress to make paid family leave a federal law.

I am also proud to be the first president to include in my budget a plan for nationwide paid family leave — so that every new parent has the chance to bond with their newborn child.

Walmart (yes, Walmart) has now done more for worker rights than the U.S. government

Image by Sven via Wikimedia Commons

Earlier this month, Walmart announced sweeping additions to how it compensates its employees.

Is New York the beginning of the end for America’s poor family leave laws?

My two working-parent family

It is freakin’ hard to be a working parent in America. It is even more difficult when both mom and dad work.

It’s not just childcare, but also doctors’ appointments, kids’ sick days, summer vacations, winter and spring breaks, Labor Days, Memorial Days, and all the other “Days” (and don’t get me started on “teacher in-service days”).

Beginning January 1, 2018, New York is implementing the start of solution for any employees that work in that state.

President Trump utters the phrase “paid family leave,” but what does it mean?

My administration wants to work with members in both parties to make childcare accessible and affordable, to help ensure new parents have paid family leave.

These were the words of President Trump during his joint address to Congress this past Tuesday night. While the administration has said little else about this “paid family leave” plan, Ivanka Trump, who has made this a priority to address in her dad’s administration, has given us some insight.