Maternity leave for State of CA employees
July 4, 2017 3:47 AM Subscribe
I'm applying for a job with a public agency at the State of California. I want to find out what their maternity leave policies are without disclosing my plans to get pregnant. Are these policies online somewhere?
I could presumably wait to be offered the job then ask to see personnel policies. But I don't know how subtle that'd truly be. And ideally, I'd like to know now, before wasting everyone's time interviewing for a job I wouldn't take, if the rule is too inflexible. I'm hoping they'd let me take 5 months off after the birth.
It's a "union job," I've been told, and it doesn't have Manager in the title (if that matters). The job description doesn't have any link to personnel or benefit policies.
Are these policies online somewhere? Thank you.
I could presumably wait to be offered the job then ask to see personnel policies. But I don't know how subtle that'd truly be. And ideally, I'd like to know now, before wasting everyone's time interviewing for a job I wouldn't take, if the rule is too inflexible. I'm hoping they'd let me take 5 months off after the birth.
It's a "union job," I've been told, and it doesn't have Manager in the title (if that matters). The job description doesn't have any link to personnel or benefit policies.
Are these policies online somewhere? Thank you.
If the contract you'd be working under isn't in Karaage's link, you can probably find it on the union's website.
posted by Huck500 at 7:54 AM on July 4, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Huck500 at 7:54 AM on July 4, 2017 [1 favorite]
Check the website for the agency itself and see if you can find the collective bargaining agreement for your particular union. (Some agencies, such as school districts, can have multiple unions so make sure you know which one is yours.) It should be under "HR" or "Employees" or something similar. The bargaining agreement is the ultimate source of policy info for stuff like this.
posted by corey flood at 10:18 AM on July 4, 2017
posted by corey flood at 10:18 AM on July 4, 2017
All of the State Agencies use the same unions. CalHR's website (and CalPERS for health benefit details) has what you need. A couple of notes that I believe are still current:
* You'll have a 6-12 month probation period depending on your position. I would recommend passing probation before taking any significant leave. You don't *have* to do that, but it will make your life easier if you do.
* You can use vacation and sick leave for maternity leave, receiving full pay. For most non-managerial, non-specialist employees, vacation starts at seven hours per month. Sick leave is eight hours per month. So you will accrue 15 hours per month in leave. Your vacation accrual increases in year three. Just so you know how to maximize your paid leave.
* There is a program called PLP (Personal Leave Program) where you can forgo a 5% step salary increase in trade for eight hours of leave per month. If you did this, you would accrue 23 hours per month. I don't know if this is available before your first step increase, which happens one year after you start, but ask your HR department.
* As noted above, you also have FMLA available, where you are paid at a lower rate.
* When you run out of leave, you can request Catastrophic Leave, which means other people can give you leave. If you have a friend or family member in the State with a ton of leave, they can gift some of that to you. Your spouse can also give you leave if they work for the State and you are pregnant.
* With the State's Kaiser health plan, maternity care is free or near free. The health care plans are really, really good. (Not sure about the other plans maternity costs though).
* In general, I think you can take five months off with no problem. I've heard of people taking far longer. The key is maximizing your *paid* leave, which isn't difficult if you put some time into the State before taking leave.
posted by cnc at 5:02 PM on July 4, 2017
* You'll have a 6-12 month probation period depending on your position. I would recommend passing probation before taking any significant leave. You don't *have* to do that, but it will make your life easier if you do.
* You can use vacation and sick leave for maternity leave, receiving full pay. For most non-managerial, non-specialist employees, vacation starts at seven hours per month. Sick leave is eight hours per month. So you will accrue 15 hours per month in leave. Your vacation accrual increases in year three. Just so you know how to maximize your paid leave.
* There is a program called PLP (Personal Leave Program) where you can forgo a 5% step salary increase in trade for eight hours of leave per month. If you did this, you would accrue 23 hours per month. I don't know if this is available before your first step increase, which happens one year after you start, but ask your HR department.
* As noted above, you also have FMLA available, where you are paid at a lower rate.
* When you run out of leave, you can request Catastrophic Leave, which means other people can give you leave. If you have a friend or family member in the State with a ton of leave, they can gift some of that to you. Your spouse can also give you leave if they work for the State and you are pregnant.
* With the State's Kaiser health plan, maternity care is free or near free. The health care plans are really, really good. (Not sure about the other plans maternity costs though).
* In general, I think you can take five months off with no problem. I've heard of people taking far longer. The key is maximizing your *paid* leave, which isn't difficult if you put some time into the State before taking leave.
posted by cnc at 5:02 PM on July 4, 2017
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Pregnancy Disability Leave
A female employee disabled by pregnancy, childbirth, or a related medical condition is entitled to take up to four months (17.33 weeks) of unpaid leave. Pregnancy Disability Leave (PDL) runs concurrently with any leave the employee is eligible for under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). When the PDL ends, the employee is entitled to take up to 12 additional weeks of unpaid leave for bonding with her new child, under the California Family Rights Act (CFRA).
The State will continue the employee's health benefits for 17.33 weeks under PDL (overlapping with FMLA’s 12 weeks) and 12 weeks of CFRA, for a total of 29.33 weeks of continued health benefits.
You should also check that against the contracts of the bargaining unit you potential job would be a part of, which may have different language, see here
posted by Karaage at 4:20 AM on July 4, 2017 [1 favorite]