Barefoot and Pregnant
My mother-in-law was recently joking about how it’s been such a long time since I have written a blog post. She said, “I guess you don’t have anything to rant about.” I am sorry that it seems like all I do on my blog is complain, but it’s a nice big public place to get annoying thoughts out there and with a lot of hope others will read it and respond. My mother-in-law had a point and today something came up that made me think, “Oh yeah, here’s a juicy one Barbara!” So, this rant is for my mother-in-law…enjoy!
I got to work today and had some papers in my mailbox. The payroll lady wrote me a nice letter in the tone of “I am your god.” The letter informed me that while I am out on maternity leave not only will I not get paid for those five weeks, but I am going to have to pay them $1,240.34 for my health insurance while out. Something is wrong here. If I am not getting a pay check how do they expect me to pay them? And, a whopping $620.17 a month!?! I almost don’t make that much to begin with – how the hell are people supposed to cough up that much money to their employer?? What do the people do when they have a baby but are living paycheck to paycheck? She did say that I could use my sick leave, but then when I got back from the maternity leave I wouldn’t be able to take a day, a hour or even a minute off without being, “terminated.” Wow…
I am pretty strong in believing that women are just as good as men, if not better. I don’t stand for women being “ruled” by their husbands. I am a strong female and I let everyone know it. I also believe that a mother is the most powerful being on the planet and without mothers we are lost. Fathers are powerful too, don’t get me wrong guys, but mommies hold a power daddies will never have. With that I have to let go of life a little to be a mommy for my little boy. Life will stop for him and nothing or no one will get in the way of that. If I had to choose between being a mommy or working the shit-paying awesome job I have, it’s no surprise to anyone who knows me that I would pick my son. There is a soccer coach at the high school I work who said, “Life goes in this order: family, work, sports.” I totally agree with him and nothing could ever change my mind because without family life is pointless.
I had thought women had come a long way on their road to freedom, but as Scott said, “The only thing females got was the right not to be fired for having a baby.” No, they cannot fire us and I am sure they would love to! They can make us feel like, “How dare you get pregnant and have a baby?!” Then they’ll take away our paychecks and make us pay them for our insurance. The master plan is to get us to quit because they cannot fire us. I cannot tell you how tempted I am to just give my job the old heave-ho and be done with the stupidest morons on earth. I am the top Interpreter right now, I am the best at what I do among the others I work with and no one Joe could walk in off the street and do what I do. With that, they have no respect for me nor my job. They could care less about the two students I work with daily and show me the door. Gee… ummm, you’re welcome? It’s a sad fact, and the boys I work with should not be in this school where they are simply a number, a testing stat that means nothing. They belong in a school designed for them where they could thrive and grow as the Deaf individuals that they are. There is no place like that here and because I care I stay working at this shit-paying awesome job. I hate it here! I hate how stupid and moronic people are. I am sick of it and want nothing more than to wash my hands of them! But, I can’t. If I leave, then who will advocate for the boys I am leaving? Who will show them the normal life of a Deaf person? I can’t just walk away, but I am being pushed – no – shoved out the front door… and why? Because I pick family over work? If the nation learned the lesson the soccer coach was trying to teach the boys on his team – this would be a better place…
May 15th, 2007 at 5:57 pm
Well, I think you should see you union rep, I hope you have one. Anyway, that is the way it goes, the more you do the more they want. But, when push comes to shove, the person that could care less and only wants a pay check (they seem to get the increases as well) is the one they will keep. That person will roll over and do what ever (good or bad) they are told to do, and will kiss the supervisor’s feet. I hate this word and those kinds of people make me sick! They don’t care if the kids have a good education or not, they would really like to just put them under the rug (so to speak) and not know they are there! As long as they do what they are told to do and say what they are told to say and don’t make an effort to do something good for the community or the kids, those people will always have a job.They will say they need more money to help with jobs or schooling. If you look, almost all of the money they get from the government goes to give them a pay raise. OK, I will step down off my soapbox now, but I would fight this. To make you pay for your own insurance is kind of weak just because you are having a baby – my grand baby!!
May 15th, 2007 at 6:15 pm
I don’t belong to the union, and I doubt they’d help me. First the union would want me to join (money) and then I’d have to continue to pay them (more money) to help with what? The age old problem of, “How dare you get pregnant while you’re working?!” I don’t know what my actions will be yet, but I plan on not giving those bastards a cent until I figure it all out.
May 16th, 2007 at 11:56 pm
Well, what I would like to know is why are they not paying you? I thought you were on year around pay? so how can they not pay you? Well if you had union rep. you could ask him what can be done. I think if I were you I would look over my contract and read the small print. then see where you can go. Ok this will be the last time I say any more. I love your writing and I love reading it. good luck
May 31st, 2007 at 1:03 am
Girl, i know your pain on this one, but not for pregnancy. When my doctor basically said that I had to leave work for a bit and work on getting better to return, the appeal managed to hold my position for 12 weeks. For there IS a federal law that protects you from your position being lost for that period of time once a year due to health, family, etc. (if you wanna know more on sat i can fill you in) BUT during that time, i was forced to pay for my health insurance and they took it straight out of charlies check! I was furious, for we could not afford to pay it without me receiving ANY type of pay. How can i get better with doctors assistance if i end up losing the insurance that covers the doctors in the first place? So i sit without that insurance if I dont cough up the money for 12 weeks, not getting better for i have no coverage for the doctor, and being forced to give up my job after that time period? YUP that is what excatly happened. Their way of making it look “good” for them, since they technically did not fire me. It was a forced leave. I still have trouble with it when I reach deep inside and think about it. I worked HARD to get to that career, 2 trade schools and relocating and persistance. Tons of overtime, some without pay and constantly stepping up to the plate to save their asses by learning more than one position, so they could spread me thin. And that they did. I do not have the same reasons for staying as you listed, you have a personal level with others in your situation that is not only important but beautiful. BUT I did have it personal with my own self worth, esteem, and extremely hard work to get where I was at. Then it all crashed down and as you can tell, I am still bent about the whole thing. Insurance companies suck, the employers who save the buck by passing on not so good options to the employees suck too. They worry about enough of that money going into the top dogs pockets to keep the pigs happy. Sorry but I have seen the “man” benefit way to many times. The people like you, and I who make the true differences in people’s lives, and even the company, get shafted. Makes me want to scream.
Sorry I guess i needed to vent on this too! HA! love ya woman!