Trish Hughes Kreis
“Robert, my 46-year old disabled youngest brother, has lived his entire life with intractable epilepsy (which means his seizures cannot be controlled with medications or surgery). He lives in a care facility and I manage his care as well as navigate social and government programs available to help him while also working full-time as a Legal Administrator and raising a family.
One of the issues I’ve run across as an employee is being able to take time off to care for my brother. The definition of “family” under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and the California Family Rights Act (CFRA) excludes caring for siblings and grandparents. So, I have had to take vacation days to handle Robert’s doctor appointments, helmet fittings, emergency room visits as well as the time spent placing Robert in a care facility. The California legislature needs to expand the definition of family under CFRA in order to expand protection for millions of working caregivers.”
Follow Trish and Robert’s story at www.robertssister.com
Raymond Moya
“I was diagnosed with cancer when my husband Byron and I were in the early stages of adopting our twin daughters. I had to leave my job. But my sickness became a blessing in disguise because I got to stay home with my infant girls. If I had left them at a daycare after 6 weeks, it could have hindered the adoption process because you have to be a ‘nurturing parent’. They could question how you can be a nurturing parent when you leave your child in daycare that early.
As a member of the LGBT community, I feel that people assume I don’t need as much time off because I am a man. And as an adoptive parent, I feel that I deserve equal benefits as a birth parent. When you have a new child, parental leave is important whether you are a woman or a man. The needs of the child don’t change whether s/he is born to you or adopted by you. Our leave policies have to be written broadly so that both birth and adoptive parents get equal leave and wage replacement.”
Donald Bentley
Donald is a family caregiver for his quadriplegic brother George Bentley. He considers himself very fortunate that his union AFSCME negotiated a contract that includes paid family leave and paid sick days that help him take time off to care for his brother. Donald believes that our laws need to be changed to expand the coverage of family members who do not have a union contract like him.
Brandi Dudley-Cook
Brandi was fired from her job at Taco Bell for taking time off work to care for her daughter who has severe asthma. She did not earn paid sick days at her job.