And big companies don’t understand why Gen X and Gen Y have no job commitment, and we only work for them for three to five years and then move on to the next just slightly higher paying job. Yes we live in the refresh button age. I’m board with this life hit the reset button and lets try another. But here is why. Companies care more about their pocketbooks and the bottom line then good products, and good workers. If you can’t treat employees with respect and dignity then why should they be hard working, dedicated, loyal, efficient, polite, trust worthy, and honest.

So here is my conundrum. I have two part time jobs, why because no one wants to hire full time workers, because they want benefits. Both my jobs pay more then minimum wage, which is good. I like what I do at both jobs and I do my jobs well, or at least that is what they tell me at all my reviews. So why am I having so many problems now that I’m pregnant.

Why am I suddenly getting from one company “Well we need to cut your hours because the company is not doing so well.” It is not a very large company. In fact there are three people working there. And of those three people I am the one who makes the least amount of money per hour. But if I ask if I should leave it’s “Oh no no no don’t do that. We want you to keep working. We just want you to work faster and get everything done that you normally get done just in less time so that we don’t have to pay you.” There not cutting anyone else’s hours. In fact the other girl that works there is going into overtime, because I have to cut my hours and she has to work more to cover the hours the office is open so that the owner (the only other employee) doesn’t have to answer the phones himself, and can actually work so that the company can make money. And her one hour of overtime is three times what I make in one straight hours of pay. But I need to cut my hours so that the company saves money. Does this make sense to anyone else?

The problem I’m having with the second company is really more a logistical one. The laws in this country that are designed to help and protect the worker only work for full time employees. Which stinks like dino poop. Because I am a part time employee I am not cover by the National Family Medical Leave Act. Because the act is written in such a way that not only do you have to work a full twelve months with a company, but you also have to work 1290 hours a year every year to be covered by it. More then half of the people that are employed by this company only work 19 or 21 hours a week. Hours specifically designed to make sure that you have no protection under Federal laws. Which also stinks like dino poop. But in actuality that is not really my problem.

Here is my problem. I went to my supervisor to ask how to handle the whole hey I have to give birth thing, because I had already read the FMLA uselessness, and the employee policies and procedures manual, also useless, and I didn’t have a clue. Well he is a really nice old guy and was very honest and just said “I really don’t know. How about you go ask Human Resources and let me know what they say.” No problem right. Well that is were everyone would be WRONG! So I go to human resources, and I’m trying to explain to the lady how I know I don’t qualify for FMLA, but I am having a baby and my supervisor and I need some help on how to plan for me missing work. And all I can get out of this lady is “Well you’re part time so you don’t qualify for leave, so you need to work it out with your supervisor. You can apply for unpaid leave, but we can ask you resign if we don’t want to give it to you.” At this point I just kind of abruptly left, because I didn’t want to have seven month pregnant woman hormonal melt down in her office. But my basic reaction was WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

Okay, so here is a tip. If you would not walk into an employees hospital room right after they have a heart attack and say “We want you to resign because we don’t want to hold your job while you recover.” Then you probably don’t want to say it to a pregnant woman standing in your office either. Number one Yah Right I’m Going To Resign. No I’m going to make you terminate me and put in writing why, and then I’m getting a really good lawyer, calling the labor board, and filing a complaint with the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission. And I’m going to take my glowing reviews from supervisors and email comments from clients praising my work with me. Number two I am a Gen Xer. When I have question, comments, or concerns the first place I look is the internet. And here is what the internet has to say. “NO YOU CAN’T!” A pregnant woman has to be treated exactly the same as any temporally disable employee and can not be terminated because she is having a baby. Unless you want to go into a court and prove that you terminated all your other part time employees that had heart attacks, appendicitis, broken legs/arms, a really bad case of the flu, or even that just got into a really bad car accident and could come into work that day, because they were in the hospital. Then and only then can you terminate a woman who has to miss work for going into labor.

So here is what the lady should have said instead. “You are a part time employee, and don’t fall under FMLA so unfortunately we can not grant an actual prearranged leave for you to miss work. I can only really tell you that you will have to work out with your supervisor what you can do, because each department has their own routine that they use for someone who has to take a sudden absents due to a medical condition or illness.” Or something to that effect. Not something to the effect of “Oh your pregnant well lets see if we can find any reason at all to fire you.” Which is what I took away from my meet with the woman in human resources.  I kind of want to say something to someone over her, but I don’t know if I can word it correctly, and not get all seven month pregnant woman hormonal while I do it.

Anyway, I took what I learned and just worded things with my supervisor that we will just have to wait until I actually to into labor to deal with the actual labor and that as long as it is a normal natural vaginal birth I should be able to return to work in about a week or so afterwards, but with no heavy lifting for a while, just like someone with a broken arm or leg, and that if it is a c-section then I will have to have two weeks bed rest before I can come back and then it would have to be really easy stuff for several week like running light board or movies for a while, and no heavy lifting for at least a couple of months. He was totally agreeable to this and we typed it up just for good measure, and I have copy with the records I keep on my job.

So maybe I just wait until I’ve had the baby and all the dust has settled, and I’m back at work for a few weeks. Then take the baby in with me as ask to see her supervisor. But I just really feel strongly that something needs to be said if for no other reason just so that she doesn’t say that to a pregnant woman whose reactions are more emotionally based, where as mine tend to be more logically based. Hence the walking out and research.

Ideas? Comments? On either job problem. And does anyone know how to start a campaign to rewrite the FMLA as it no longer is effective for the majority of the American working class? Or should I just quit one job and go on welfare like everyone else, because like wise I can’t get medicate for my baby because cause I make even with the less hours at job number one $100 too much a month to qualify. Want to know how much it is going to cost me to pay everyone involved in the birth of my baby. $9000. So lets see $100 per month times 12 is $1200 a year and $9000 divided by $1200 is 7.5 years to pay everyone off for my baby’s birth with my expendable income. Plus I now have to feed and cloth and raise this baby with no expendable income left. Or I could take 15 years to pay everyone and have $50 a month for my kid. That’s just wonderful. Thanks for all the help government. This would be why when the baby boomers start to die the American population is going to fall, because the couldn’t afford to make as many babies as there parents did. And the Gen Xers and Gen Yers are going to make even less because we have to work more and pay more and keep less and have no retirement, even if we have a retirement plan. Because we will still need money to pay for healthcare even if our retirement plan can meet the cost of living expenses. I’m so happy I give the government twenty five percent of my annually salary for the really great job there doing. Aren’t you?