>I recognize that your comment is dripping of cynicism so I'm not entirely sure which parts are true. You're saying that you can't get maternity leave at Whole Foods (or in the entire USA maybe?
Generally not, unless if you're some hot shit or in a well unionized job. Heck, in tons of jobs people are lucky to get their toiler breaks...
>I don't know whether this is national or just that Whole Foods is somehow a horrible, terrible, no good employer)
>How about with a doctor's note that says that yes indeed, you're pregnant?
Usually such a leave concerns the period after you've given birth.
>Isn't there laws about that sort of stuff?
In lower paying fire-at-will jobs, laws don't mean much. They can find 100 ways to fire you in ways that don't break the letter of the law if you ask for something the law supposedly guarantees.
>And wasn't Whole Foods supposed to be the upmarket, organic, do-goodery, happy happy joy joy supermarket?
Public image doesn't mean anything for how a business operates. Apple was supposed to be "in the intersection of fine arts and technology" but has people in horrible working conditions, Google was supposed to "not be evil".
You say that the parent is "dripping of cynicism", but I can't make heads or tails of your questions. Are you from abroad, and have no contact whatsoever with the USA (friends, etc)? Are you from a nordic country and are astonished that such things are possible? Or maybe you're from the US, but have too much wealth to ever be involved in working people's concerns? Because they sound dripping with out-of-touch, and I'm not even American (I just have many friends there).
I just noticed that I never responded to this. @coldtea, I hope you still read this: thanks for your answer.
I am indeed from abroad and my only contact with the USA is through HN. I vaguely know some people who work in the Bay Area but they all have good jobs so which parts of their job benefits are perks and which are law or norm was never clear to me. I truly believed all civilized countries had at least some sort of government mandated paid maternity leave. Basically I imagined that in the US it'd be 2 weeks instead of N months. Thanks for elaborating.
You should either clarify that you are talking about unpaid leave, or you should read your own articles. Maternity leave is guaranteed for most employees under FMLA.
>They can find 100 ways to fire you in ways that don't break the letter of the law if you ask for something the law supposedly guarantees.
That can be actionable too. If you are pregnant and they fire you, they are opening themselves up to so much liability it outweighs the few dollars they might save.
>Maternity leave is guaranteed for most employees under FMLA.
You'd be surprised.
The FMLA only mandates for unpaid leave. That's unlike most western european countries. And even that's under BS conditions and subject to employer power plays as opposed to totally normal and acceptable (and paid).
>That can be actionable too. If you are pregnant and they fire you, they are opening themselves up to so much liability it outweighs the few dollars they might save.
Maternity leave is not just for pregmant people. What about after birth?
Besides, there are lots of ways to make it so it's not actionable.
Or the money to see them through... not to mention in smaller cities they can also be blacklisted (illegal or not, happens all the time to those asking for their rights, suing employees, looking to unionize, etc).
Generally not, unless if you're some hot shit or in a well unionized job. Heck, in tons of jobs people are lucky to get their toiler breaks...
>I don't know whether this is national or just that Whole Foods is somehow a horrible, terrible, no good employer)
Of course it is national.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2018/02/05/the-w...
>How about with a doctor's note that says that yes indeed, you're pregnant?
Usually such a leave concerns the period after you've given birth.
>Isn't there laws about that sort of stuff?
In lower paying fire-at-will jobs, laws don't mean much. They can find 100 ways to fire you in ways that don't break the letter of the law if you ask for something the law supposedly guarantees.
https://www.babygaga.com/15-times-bosses-fired-women-on-mat-...
>And wasn't Whole Foods supposed to be the upmarket, organic, do-goodery, happy happy joy joy supermarket?
Public image doesn't mean anything for how a business operates. Apple was supposed to be "in the intersection of fine arts and technology" but has people in horrible working conditions, Google was supposed to "not be evil".
You say that the parent is "dripping of cynicism", but I can't make heads or tails of your questions. Are you from abroad, and have no contact whatsoever with the USA (friends, etc)? Are you from a nordic country and are astonished that such things are possible? Or maybe you're from the US, but have too much wealth to ever be involved in working people's concerns? Because they sound dripping with out-of-touch, and I'm not even American (I just have many friends there).