RE: You can be part of the conversation at the SR Opinion Page blog, A Matter of Opinion, here.
In my Sunday column -- read here -- I reconnected with an early mentor of mine, Pat Schroeder, former Democratic Congresswoman from Colorado. I worked in her office for three months in 1983 as an American Political Science Association fellow. She outlined a radical vision back then, that parents could take three months unpaid leave to care for newborns or ill family members. Her vision, The Family Leave and Medical Act became reality, even though it took almost a decade. And just this month, the Washington State Legislature made history, too, by being just the second state (California was the first) to make part of that leave paid. Parents who take time off to care for newborns or adopted babies will get a $250 a week stipend. The funding source is being explored -- Rebecca Nappi/A Matter of Opinion.
Rebecca Nappi: I support this 100 percent and wouldn't mind some of my paycheck going for this. But I had my turn to weigh in. Now it's your turn.
Question: Have you ever used Family Leave? Have you ever had a negative experience because of a coworker taking Family Leave?
Pat Schroeder photo courtesy of Association of American Publishers
D.F. Oliveria started Huckleberries Online on Feb. 16, 2004. Oliveria's Sunday print Huckleberries is a past winner of the national Herb Caen Memorial Column contest.
In my Sunday column -- read here -- I reconnected with an early mentor of mine, Pat Schroeder, former Democratic Congresswoman from Colorado. I worked in her office for three months in 1983 as an American Political Science Association fellow. She outlined a radical vision back then, that parents could take three months unpaid leave to care for newborns or ill family members. Her vision, The Family Leave and Medical Act became reality, even though it took almost a decade. And just this month, the Washington State Legislature made history, too, by being just the second state (California was the first) to make part of that leave paid. Parents who take time off to care for newborns or adopted babies will get a $250 a week stipend. The funding source is being explored -- Rebecca Nappi/A Matter of Opinion.
