No one expects the Republicans who control Congress to take him up on his invitation. Any attempts to thicken the social safety net through government spending are philosophically inimical to the G.O.P. point of view. Yet here’s the irony: In their own offices, Republicans are often very generous with federal money, giving their staffs plenty of compensated time off to care for a child. Last week, I wrote to all 100 Senate offices and asked how they individually handled parental leave. While only 26 replied (not surprising, really; it meant voluntarily laying bare their private policies, always a touchy subject), it’s worth noting that virtually all of the respondents — 15 Democrats, two independents and nine Republicans — said they provided paid leave of some kind. What this means, practically speaking, is that all of them go above and beyond what the Family and Medical Leave Act requires — (12 weeks of unpaid leave, assuming both employee and employer meet the requirements). The traditional liberal rap on the Republican Party is that its policies are hostile to working women. But that’s clearly not how Republicans conduct themselves as bosses on Capitol Hill.
Posted on: Sun, 25 Jan 2015 14:22:38 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015