Free Republic

The nonsensical coverage of the debate over paid leave continues. Apparently, opposing a federal paid-leave program is the equivalent of being anti-family or pro-suffering, or so we're told. We rarely get information about the full consequences of such a policy. What kinds of employment leave options do workers use the most? Who exactly doesn't have paid leave currently? Are there legitimate reasons for an employer not to provide it? Or, would a government program target only those workers who do not currently have employer-provided paid leave? These are some of the questions that are rarely asked by those who insist...

While the nation faces yet another crisis, this time to do with transportation, it happens to be coming at a time when Sec. Pete Buttigieg is on paternity leave. The issue is not so much that he took paid family leave to bond with his newborn adopted children--at least it shouldn't be. The issue is we're just now hearing about it, and during a crisis. "Oh, So That’s What Pete Buttigieg Has Been Doing," Katie's article was aptly titled, citing insight from POLITICO Playbook. Writing "Can Pete Buttigieg Have It All?," for the Thursday "West Wing Playbook," Alex Thompson and...

Following increased interest in expanding access to paid family and medical leave, Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., joined forces with Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., to promote the Family and Medical Insurance Leave, or FAMILY, Act. If we believe the act's supporters, it would cost close to nothing and provide essential benefits to employees who don't currently receive them. Unfortunately, these claims are bogus. Under the FAMILY Act, the federal government would offer 12 weeks of paid time off to enable workers to care for infants, recover from major illnesses and care for severely ill relatives. During that time, employees would receive...

Despite recent stock market jitters related to the coronavirus, the U.S. economy is doing well. Wages are growing, especially for lower-income workers, and unemployment is low. Yet calls are intensifying for the federal government to implement paid leave, which may unwittingly hurt those whom the program claims to help. Supporters often resort to the same misleading notions to make their case -- misperceptions that must be continuously debunked, lest they lead to unnecessary harm to working families. Among the most common claims used to make the case for government provision of paid leave is that not every working woman gets...

On Thursday, the Trump administration will host the White House Summit on Child Care and Paid Leave, convening lawmakers, local officials, parents, and industry leaders to discuss paid family leave and affordable childcare – issues vitally important to the lifeblood of the U.S. economy and the betterment of the American family. The summit, spearheaded by Senior Adviser Ivanka Trump, is yet another example of President Trump’s advocacy for working families and further underscores that the Republican Party is now the party of working families.For example, long thought to be an issue owned by the left, it is now the GOP...

Government-mandated employee perks might sound like a good way to help out working women, but, in reality, these programs do more harm than good. European women are already paying the price, and American women might be next. Carrie Lukas, President of Independent Women’s Forum, explains how keeping the government out of the workplace goes a long way toward keeping women in it. For more information on Independent Women's Forum visit IWF.org

"Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) is working with Ivanka Trump to craft a paid family leave plan that will appeal to fellow Republicans, Politico reported Sunday. “We still have to work on members of my own party. I think there will be significant initial resistance to it, because it’s just not an issue that’s been identified with the Republican Party,” Rubio told the news outlet."

First daughter Ivanka Trump penned an op-ed Tuesday, making her case why paid family leave is an important policy that benefits American women as well as the economy. "Providing a national guaranteed paid-leave program — with a reasonable time limit and benefit cap — isn’t an entitlement, it’s an investment in America’s working families,” Trump wrote in a Wall Street Journal op-ed. ADVERTISEMENT She laid out the benefits from such a program, saying it will lead to "Healthier children and parents in more tightly bonded families, greater financial stability and stronger attachment to the labor force are among the most...

SACRAMENTO -- Bay Area motorists will face more severe smog checks, workers statewide will receive paid family leave and "sideshow" victims' fears will ease -- but poor drivers will pay more for insurance and Californians still will not have financial privacy. That could be the impact of just a few of the hundreds of bills decided by legislators during the holiday weekend, amid unusual end-of-session chaos as lawmakers also finally broke a partisan deadlock in order to adopt a 2002-03 state budget. Other measures, if signed by Gov. Gray Davis, would ask voters to approve a nearly $10 billion bond...

Unions Try Again to Help Working Families "Labor is once again supporting legislation that would make it easier for employees to take care of sick family members. SB 1471, by Senator Gloria Romero, (D) Los Angeles/San Gabriel Valley, would clarify that employees who take family sick leave cannot be penalized under employer “absence control” policies. SB 1661, by Senator Sheila Kuehl, (D) Santa Monica, would establish a paid family leave program. Under current law, California workers are eligible for up to 3 months of unpaid family leave to care for a sick relative or new child. This bill would fund...