My husband and I recently decided to start trying for a baby which jointly would be our 5th. We didn’t expect it to happen so quickly but it did. So I have been working on my job for eight years and in three of my previous pregnancies my employer (small office just me and him) never gave me a paid maternity leave. When I had my babies I usually returned to work within two weeks of their birth because I could not afford to be off. Now I am hearing about short term disability which he does not offer and I do not think it’s possible to collect in Kentucky and FMLA which does not apply to me because I am the only employee he had. Now I am getting worried because while my husband and I have savings I do not think that it is going to be enough to sustain us while I am out because this baby is due in December and I plan to take the whole month off because of the other children being out of school for the holidays.
I have started researching about work laws in Kentucky and by law he doesn’t have to pay me for my leave, vacation or anything. About two years ago he offered me twelve days paid but I could only use 1 per month. Then he took them away without cause. I am getting pretty fed up with this job because of other situations but I like the clients so I stick around. Now I need to know what should I do because I cannot afford to just be off and I feel like after 8 years my boss should offer me some type of vacation time that I could use or some type of pay on my maternity leave. I am not asking for a full month just two weeks minimum, so that we can supplement our savings. What do you all think? Am I wrong?
Update:
Thank you boots6, you are right. They are his clients. I guess because this was my first job coming from college I have become comfortable here but you are right again about him taking the vacation days. I thought that was mean. I recently ran into a former secretary of his and she said that he used to pay her health insurance for her and 5 kids. I looked through so old files and found out that it was true and not only that but previous secretaries got paid federal holidays and I don’t. Any day that I take off I pay for and any day that he closes the office I pay for and on top of that I pay for my own private health insurance. There more I type the more I think that I should quit.
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Quit this job. Find a new job that will allow you to take the FMLA, or give you the 6 weeks that every decent employer in the US gives.
“but I like the clients so I stick around” – they are his clients, not yours. You make this jerkface look good to them, while he abuses you. No boss takes days off away on a whim, that’s insane.
You absolutely should get time off after having a baby, but you will only get it from a new boss at a new job.