Who Watches Out For Employee's Best Interest

[Big Lou]

My wife Cathy has been with her company for over 16 years. After a buyout the new corporate owners cut out sick leave so empoyees are forced to take a minimum of 1/2 day vacation to go to the doctor or multiple days if sick. Due to my health we theoratically qualify for the Federal Family Leave Program that allows Cathy 30 works days a year to care for me, take me to doctor appointments, etc.. Here is the catch. To use the FFLP Cathy must first use all available vacation. To get around this benefit the company allocates vacation per week. Vacation cannot be use until accured. With this vacation allocation method an employee is never out of vacation. Thus she never qualifies to use the Federal Family Leave Program. To go to my doctor appointments, hospital stays, etc. she is again forced to take vacation.

As the old saying goes "we are between a rock and hard place".

 

[sissy]

Thats why I say this country needs to rethink the healthcare system .They say family first but seems the country thinks it should be last .I am retired and not 65 yet and wonder why people think that seniors should get a voucher each year to pay for medical insurance ,who do you think is going to sell you medical insurance if you have health concerns .Most ask you your age and deny you after age 70 .I know I have been trying to find a supplement insurance for a friend and because he is 73 they will not sell to him ,even though he does not have any problems with his health that are major .The rich get richer and the middle class are becoming extinct .SAD

 

[ididntdoit99]

You may want to do some more research on that. When my fiance was pregnant, and before I became a salaried employee our HR rep had me fill out the forms to apply for FMLA and it was so I DIDN'T have to use all of my vacation.

Our company has a point system, you leave for half a day, or miss a day, and don't have vacation to use, you get it unpaid, and you get a point. If you get 12 points in a year, you are terminated.

So when we were expecting our baby, I talked to our HR rep, and said "You know, I want to go to the doctors appointments and things like that, but they involve me leaving for an hour or two, not half a day (we have to use a half day of vacation at a time) but if I keep taking points for leaving early, I'll have 12 of them before this baby is born."
She was the one who said, well if you apply for FMLA we can't give you points for any of those days, and you can just take an hour or two as needed, without using your vacation day and taking half a day.

So I would definitely do some fact checking, maybe her employer isn't playing by the rules. Or maybe my HR rep was wrong, I'm not sure, because I never ended up applying for it, I was promoted to salary before I needed FMLA and can pick and chose my hours, as long as i work the required hours for the week.

 

[Big Lou]

You may want to do some more research on that. When my fiance was pregnant, and before I became a salaried employee our HR rep had me fill out the forms to apply for FMLA and it was so I DIDN'T have to use all of my vacation.

Our company has a point system, you leave for half a day, or miss a day, and don't have vacation to use, you get it unpaid, and you get a point. If you get 12 points in a year, you are terminated.

So when we were expecting our baby, I talked to our HR rep, and said "You know, I want to go to the doctors appointments and things like that, but they involve me leaving for an hour or two, not half a day (we have to use a half day of vacation at a time) but if I keep taking points for leaving early, I'll have 12 of them before this baby is born."
She was the one who said, well if you apply for FMLA we can't give you points for any of those days, and you can just take an hour or two as needed, without using your vacation day and taking half a day.

So I would definitely do some fact checking, maybe her employer isn't playing by the rules. Or maybe my HR rep was wrong, I'm not sure, because I never ended up applying for it, I was promoted to salary before I needed FMLA and can pick and chose my hours, as long as i work the required hours for the week.

Thanks for your reply. I will email your remarks to my wife so she can check with HR.

 

[Fishylove]

My job was the same way Lou before I quit. In fact, if I missed a day and took FMLA, I had to tell them if I wanted to use my vacation time before the end of the pay period. That's what the Family Leave Act is for, so it's not counted against you, Federally regulated.

 

[Waterbug]

Federally regulated for the next couple of months maybe.

In the past the people in control had to undo employee protection laws under the table. But now they have enough control of the media that they can come right out and say people "who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it -- that that's an entitlement. And the government should give it to them". And regular people will vote for that kind of leadership. Amazing.

 

[sissy]

That part would depend on who you are and if you have worked all your life towards retirement are you not intitled to it YES .I am 59 this year and never asked for help and worked since I was 16 and think social security should be there and not be robbed by politicians .I don't want some one in office that is a yes man and only tells you what you want to hear ,but lies and hides money .Welfare was supposed to be a hand up not a hand out for people to stay home and be paid to have babies they did not want and then have another and another .Just so they got money to do drugs and party .Sorry but I feel we need to take control and not be lied too .FAMILY IS IMPORTANT .I paid my fair share .sorry my opinion maybe .

 

[Waterbug]

It's so easy for media or a politician to stir people's emotions. Originally the Tea Party was mad at the banks for getting bailed out...that was honest grass roots rage imo...a short time later, after Rupert Murdoch instructed his media (Fox News, Wall Street Journal, etc.) to convince viewers, the Tea Party was mad at the Occupy Wall Street movement and the government's crack down on banks with tighter regulation. 180 degree turn. I don't think most Tea Party people even know most of the funding for that movement comes from the Koch brothers. They only care about controlling a large voting block for their own interests and they've done it very well.

Welfare is another easy button the 1% can use to control the 99%. A few lies and everyone is up in arms. It's a great racket, been around forever. Just surprised it's gotten such a hold in the US. Guess we're no different than other people in the world.

 

[Craig58]

Lou,

Look to see if there is a Legal Aid society in your area or, you might contact a few lawyers that specialize in HR issues, and ask them about your rights for family leave. Most small companies (and quite a few large ones), misinterpret the progams, (sometime intentionally, because they can). Employees are usually afraid to challenge a business for fear of their job. (I can understand that!).

Call more than one lawyer. Some might take a case if they think they can get a class action law suit on behalf of all employees. Some laws force the loser (company) to pay legal fees. Also, in the "interview" process for a lawyer, as you talk to them, they may actually give you some idea if you actually have any standing and if the company is in the wrong. By talking to 4 or 5 different lawyers you'll be surprised how much info you can get out of them in a simple phone inquiry.

Also contact your state's attorney general's office. They can often point you to a state department or commission that serves as a watchdog over businesses. Many states have some form of an Equal Rights Commission which your wife, being female, might be able to at least ask them questions about the leave.

Craig

 

[archimedes]

It's interesting how people who receive deserved benefits draw a distinction between their benefits and the benefits of the unworthy. Unfortunately, the political figures looking to do away with those benefits draw no such distinction.

 

[In2deep]

FMLA States you can use your sick leave or even Leave Without Pay. Im going to send you a link in a private message.

 

[Big Lou]

FMLA States you can use your sick leave or even Leave Without Pay. Im going to send you a link in a private message.

Thank you.