#family leave

[reasonsforhope]

"Illinois will become one of three states to require employers to offer paid time off for any reason after Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a law on Monday that will take effect next year.

Starting Jan. 1, 2024, Illinois employers must offer workers paid time off based on hours worked, with no need to explain the reason for their absence as long as they provide notice in accordance with reasonable employer standards.

Just Maine and Nevada mandate earned paid time time off and allot employees the freedom to decide how to use it, but Illinois’ law is further reaching, unencumbered by limits based on business size. Similarly structured regulations that require employers to offer paid sick leave exist in 14 states and Washington, D.C., but workers can only use that for health-related reasons.

Illinois employees will accrue one hour of paid leave for every 40 hours worked up to 40 hours total, although the employer may offer more. Employees can start using the time once they have worked for 90 days. Seasonal workers will be exempt, as will federal employees or college students who work non-full-time, temporary jobs for their university.

Pritzker signed the bill Monday in downtown Chicago, saying: “Too many people can't afford to miss even a day's pay ... together we continue to build a state that truly serves as a beacon for families, and businesses, and good paying jobs.”

Proponents say paid leave is key to making sure workers, especially low-income workers who are more vulnerable, are able to take time off when needed without fear of reprisal from an employer.

Bill sponsor Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth, a Peoria Democrat, said the bill is the product of years of negotiations with businesses and labor groups.

“Everyone deserves the ability to take time off,” she said in a statement. “Whether it’s to deal with the illness of a family member, or take a step back for your mental health, enshrining paid leave rights is a step forward for our state."

“This is about bringing dignity to all workers," she said at the signing."

-via ABC News, 3/13/23

[caitlynskitten]

Girlfriend girlfriend

[randyite]

[weirdlittleberry]

Family Leave (Netflix)

[isaacsapphire]

Some US states haven't already mandated paid maternity leave‽

No.

[womens-rights-in-the-workplace]

Finland's Women-Led Government Has Equalized Family Leave: 7 Months For Each Parent Under the new policy, families are entitled to a total 14 months of paid leave. The health minister says the goal is to both improve gender equality and boost a declining birth rate. That’s Fourteen Months Fully Paid Leave.

Compare and contrast with the United States. We offer ZERO paid maternity leave to anyone. Guess who always stands in the way of paying women?

[kiramoore626]

Since ‘Dobbs,’ states with abortion bans far outpace those offering paid family leave

Since ‘Dobbs,’ states with abortion bans far outpace those offering paid family leave Our research found that none of the 25 states that ban or severely limit abortion offer any paid family leave. This double whammy of mandated birth and state neglect has grave health consequences.

[learnwithmearticles]

Working in France

In this article, I examine how working conditions and their impact on French living compare to those of the United States.

While I have been a citizen of the U.S.A. for my entire life and have first-hand experience of the working conditions and work benefits, I have never lived in France. The knowledge used to make the comparisons here comes from quantitative reports and first-hand accounts.

Benefits and Pay

Compared to the U.S., workers in France have wonderful benefits. Full-time work weeks are usually 35 hours, of course varying by industry, and employees are assured about 25 days of paid vacation per year, not including holidays. When sick, an employee is guaranteed 50% of their daily pay for up to six months, as long as they have worked there for at least three.

The U.S. currently has no federal minimums for sick leave. However, the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) applies to many companies and public agencies, and mandates twelve weeks of unpaid leave “for certain medical situations”, if an employee has worked for at least twelve months 7.

On average, a U.S. worker has about 11 paid vacation days every year 4. Paid vacation leave is not a legal requirement.

Maternity leave in France is generally around 16 to 48 weeks of paid time off, while paternity leave is up to 28 days of paid leave 2. In the case of paternity leave, employers must pay for three days and social security pays for the rest. In the United States, only 13 states have mandatory amounts of paid parental leave. The time off ranges from 6 to 8 weeks 3. In both countries, the earnings during time off largely depend on what the employee was making during regular work hours.

French health insurance covers employees, retirees, the self-employed, and the unemployed 5. It generally covers 70%-80% of medical fees, or 100% if one has a major illness 6. Major illnesses include Parkinson’s disease, stroke, Crohn’s disease, cancers, diabetes, bipolar disorder, and serious anxiety disorders, as well as many other conditions. Many citizens have secondary insurance to help with what isn’t covered, which is generally around €14-30 per month.

Most health insurance in the United States is private and depends on the agreements negotiated between employers and insurance companies. On average, a U.S. citizen pays around $117 a month through employer health insurance, or about $477 per month if they cannot enroll through their employment 17.

One might qualify for Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance plan depending on household size and income. For example, a single person making up to $1,677 each month would qualify for Medicaid and not have to pay a monthly premium or copays 8. Usually, one also has to have lived in the United States for at least five years to qualify, and applying and receiving Medicaid approval can take over six months and be very difficult to navigate 9.

It’s Not Perfect

While employees are more secure in France, they do still face some of the issues that American workers do.

The French minimum wage, as of 2023, is €11.27 before taxes. This is about €1,600 per month. The estimated average cost of living is about €1,027, not including rent 11. As of 2018, about 40% of people also had rent costs to pay 12. It is generally less expensive to live in France than in the United States, but many people there are also facing the housing crisis and inflated costs of basic living.

About 17% of France’s population makes minimum wage 15. This compares to about 1.4% of U.S. workers 16, but the minimum wage there is $7.25 compared to €11.27 in France (12.23 USD).

While the average monthly salary in France is around €2,340 (varying by region) 13, about 14.6% of the population lived in poverty in 2020 14.

Overall, the employee benefit requirements and federal policies of France reflect an investment in its people and a belief in basic rights. Compared to the United States, the government puts effort into taking care of its citizens. They are facing cost of living issues and have not increased the minimum wage to reflect that, but still beat the U.S. in wage minimum, health coverage, and paid time off.

If you have personal experiences relating to French employee benefits and wages, please feel free to add what information you can!

Additional Resources

1. https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=1110&langId=en&intPageId=4535

2. https://www.safeguardglobal.com/resources/employee-benefits-in-france/

3.https://bipartisanpolicy.org/explainer/state-paid-family-leave-laws-across-the-u-s/#:~:text=Thirteen%20states%20and%20the%20District,are%20not%20yet%20in%20effect.

4. https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/pto-statistics/

5.https://www.commonwealthfund.org/international-health-policy-center/countries/francef

6. https://www.internations.org/france-expats/guide/healthcare

7. https://www.dol.gov/general/topic/workhours/sickleave

8. https://njfamilycare.dhs.state.nj.us/who_eligbl.aspx

9.https://hnwlaw.com/elder-law/applying-medicaid/medicaid-application-process-in-new-jersey/

10. https://www.eurodev.com/blog/understanding-employee-benefits-in-france

11. https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/country_result.jsp?country=France

12. https://www.brookings.edu/articles/france-rental-housing-markets/

13. https://joinhorizons.com/countries/france/hiring-employees/average-salary/

14. https://www.statista.com/statistics/460446/poverty-rate-france/

15.https://www.lemonde.fr/en/opinion/article/2024/01/22/too-many-french-workers-are-on-minimum-wage_6455732_23.html

16.https://www.statista.com/statistics/188206/share-of-workers-paid-hourly-rates-at-or-below-minimum-wage-since-1979/17.https://www.usatoday.com/money/blueprint/health-insurance/how-much-is-health-insurance/

[bli-o]

hey autistic people who get overwhelmed by large groups or noise or conversation or etc etc etc you’re not evil for wanting to leave a family gathering. just so you know.

[biggest-gaudiest-patronuses]

going through my old journals as part of therapy homework and i'm reading a section written in the emotional wreckage of a full-on breakdown when i get hit with this line:

There is never a satisfying answer to ‘Why didn’t they love me?’

like wow babe. good fucking point

[sysig]

Permission to headbutt: Granted (Patreon)

[anotherpapercut]

just had an absolutely sickening conversation with a 20 year old I work with wherein I had to impress upon her that her and her friends need to be extremely cautious going to the gay clubs right now with increasing attacks happening. make sure any very young, very newly adult queer people in your life know that we're a family and community and part of that is being willing to fight for your siblings lives if they're under attack. even if it's a person you despise, you stick up for your family and they will stick up for you. we are all we have. the cops refuse to help, and so do most people outside the community. we cannot survive without each other

[inky-the-artist]

i'm a sucker for that one trope in cartoons where a character sees the younger version of their loved one (bonus points if they also interact with it because that's just *chefs kiss*)

please please PLEASE do more of this

[such-a-downer]

OH DEAAAAAARRRRRR

I DIDN'T EXPECT THIS SUDDEN BOMB

tho of course, no danger happened.

Only a wash of screams and squeals from us readers

[weirdlittleberry]

Family leave (Netflix, 2023)