Klobuchar's office retools family leave policy after news report

[Yosemito]

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by DonViejo (a host of the Latest Breaking News forum).

Source: CNN

Sen. Amy Klobuchar's Senate office scrapped a policy this week that required employees who took 12 weeks of paid maternity and paternity leave to stay at the office for three times that time off once they returned, an aide to the Minnesota Democrat said Friday.

The aide said the office policy -- which was first reported by The New York Times -- was brought to the staff's attention this week and no one was ever asked to abide by it. Once the policy was known, the aide said, it was updated on the staff handbook. According to the Times report, those who left after returning from leave would be required to pay back the money they earned during the weeks they were on leave.

"We've never once made staff pay back any of their leave and have already changed that language in the handbook," said Elena Ross, press secretary for Klobuchar. "Our office has one of the strongest paid leave policies in the Senate, offering 12 weeks of paid maternity and paternity leave (both adoptive and biological) for our staff."

There is no blanket family leave policy in the Senate and each senator's office determines its own policy.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/22/politics/klobuchar-family-leave-policy/index.html

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Women who didn't work 9 months or longer after the leave (3 X 12 weeks = 36 weeks 9 months) had to pay the leave back.

Kudos to Klobuchar for fixing this.

[Dopers_Greed]

1. The media is desperately trying to dig out anything they can on the Dem candidates

[Yosemito]

2. Um. She changed her policy

Klobuchar isn't taking the "Nothingburger" approach.

[DURHAM D]

3. That is actually a very reasonable policy.

So, how did they "fix" it?

How many Senators offer any paid leave?

[Honeycombe8]

10. Looks like it to me, too. nt

[LogicFirst]

12. Yes. Reasonable

What if I take my 12 paid weeks, come back to work for one week, and quit. That is fraudulent in my book.

[LiberalFighter]

4. Why are there separate policies for each Senator's office?

[SFnomad]

9. Maybe because the Senate, as a whole, doesn't have a policy

Or if they do, the policy they have is inadequate and doesn't offer anything. The Senate is run by the Republicans and they're not known for being very progressive when it comes to things like this.

[a kennedy]

5. A couple more allegations against Amy........

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/amy-klobuchar-sabotages-job-opportunities-for-staff_n_5c706f8fe4b03cfdaa553cdd

https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2019/02/22/amy-klobuchar-new-york-times-reports-salad-comb-staffer-lead-vpx.cnn

Lotsa shit about Amy......this is gonna be the worst primary and general season of anything I can remember.....Chicago’s fisaco might be close, but i’m Not going to be able to live through it. I’m going to start reading......slow down, relax, enjoy. Read.

[Haggis for Breakfast]

6. They only "fixed" it this week AFTER it made national news.

The more I hear about her, the less I like.

Intimidating employees who want to step up to a better job or phoning potential employers to demand that they rescind offers of employment for staffers is a step too far.

We already have one ill-tempered, ego-mad, control freak in the WH, we don't need another, even if it is a woman.

I will not support Klobuchar.

[pazzyanne]

11. I find it interesting that these allegations about Klobuchar

started when she became a potential candidate for president. She has been a Senator since 2006 and nary a word about her treatment of staff. Strange, don't you think? It kind of smells like dirty tricks to me, but we continue to fall for this stuff without vetting it. It is really sad to lose good talent based on what is a potential hit job.

[True Blue American]

14. Amy is a

WOMAN! PazzyAnne!

[pazzyanne]

15. I KNOW!!! And it is infuriating when this is all they got,

but people buy into it. Even here on DU, which makes me sad and discouraged.

[Puppyjive]

7. This is how I feel

If there is any truth to any of the reports about this candidate, this is how I feel: If you treat the people who surround you with any kind of disrespect, how do you plan on representing a nation? I have zero tolerance for people who lack basic decency and kindness towards others. I don't care how wealthy you are, or what your position is. You suck in my world.

[True Blue American]

13. Could we find a couple

Of articles about how Trump treats his staff? Isn’t that newsworthy?

[DonViejo]

16. Locking...

The Consensus of Forum Hosts agrees this news article is more appropriate on the Democratic Primaries Forum, not the LBN Forum. Please post the article in that Democratic Primaries Forum