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"In a statement provided to TechCrunch, a representative of Whole Foods said they respect the “individual rights of [their] team members.”" Ha... now there's a

"In a statement provided to TechCrunch, a representative of Whole Foods said they respect the “individual rights of [their] team members.”" Ha... now there's a carefully chosen phrase. “[We] have an open-door policy that encourages team members to bring their comments, questions and concerns directly to their team leaders,” I'd refer to this gif[0] but I know they're not serious. If anyone believes individual cashiers asking for maternity leave is a good way to get it, I've got a bridge you might also be interested in buying. 0: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3AkXJmV0AIY/T_Yj4_zOF7I/AAAAAAAAAJ0/-hReEvLaRiY/s1600/Oh-Wait-Youre-Serious_o_97195.gif http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3AkXJmV0AIY/T_Yj4_zOF7I/AAAAAAAAAJ...

village-idiot 8y ago
Lawyers were clearly involved in that press release.
skrebbel 8y ago
> If anyone believes individual cashiers asking for maternity leave is a good way to get it I recognize that your comment is dripping of cynicism so I'm not entirely sure which parts are true. You're saying that you can't get maternity leave at Whole Foods (or in the entire USA maybe? I don't know whether this is national or just that Whole Foods is somehow a horrible, terrible, no good employer) when you ask? How about with a doctor's note that says that yes indeed, you're pregnant? Isn't there laws about that sort of stuff? And wasn't Whole Foods supposed to be the upmarket, organic, do-goodery, happy happy joy joy supermarket? Seriously when I read stuff like this I wonder how it's possible that America functions, well, at all. Do they expect people to just bleep the groceries in-between the contractions? Hey yo don't worry I can breast-feed the little one with a single hand and use the other hand to bag your leek.
- rawTruthHurts 8y ago
  "You're saying that ..." No, that's not what he's saying, and no, a single person does not have the same leverage an entire collective has against a larger company.
  - skrebbel 8y ago
    But.. You're pregnant! You're entitled to maturity leave right? Isn't that normal? Why do you need "leverage"? I'm not kidding, so I'll ask again, even clearer. Does America not have the concept of maturity leave by law? Is it like considered a perk or something? I'm so confused because, well, where I live when you're pregnant, tell the boss is exactly what you'd do! And then you get maturity leave. And the GGP says that that's somehow totally laughably ridiculous, so laughably ridiculous that it warrants sharing imgur gifs, and I really don't get it and I also still don't get how America can function at all when something as basic as this isn't, well, basic. ps. also you're not being very helpful with "No, that's not what he's saying" without telling me what he is saying.
    - morsch 8y ago
      There's apparently a federally mandated minimum of 12 weeks unpaid leave, with a number of exceptions. From what I can tell, Whole Foods does what it must, and not a lick more. https://www.everydayhealth.com/pregnancy/101/tip/fmla.aspx https://www.everydayhealth.com/pregnancy/101/tip/fmla.aspx
    - bengale 8y ago
      Where are you based? Are you sure unions aren't the reason you have these benefits?
      - skrebbel 8y ago
        I bet they are (Netherlands). I seriously don't get how anyone can interpret my comments on this thread as sceptical about unionization.
        awiesenhofer 8y ago
        How are you inferring that from GPs comments? He just couldn't believe that the US doesn't have mandated parental leave - you know, like the rest of the world.
      - 8y ago
- spacehome 8y ago
  If an employee is pregnant, no one is forcing the employee to show up for work. When people talk about maternity leave, they usually don't mean the ability to not show up for work (which is a given in a free society), but rather the obligation of the employer to pay the employee whether or not she shows up for work. This meaning of 'maternity leave' is not a legal requirement of employment in the US, though some employers include it. Employers are not and should not be required to pay you for work you are not doing. If maternity leave is important to an employee, it's important to negotiate it when arranging employment, or failing that, negotiate a high enough salary that you can afford to save for a couple months without income. As of 1993, companies with 50 employees or more must offer unpaid maternity leave.
  - dragonwriter 8y ago
    > If an employee is pregnant, no one is forcing the employee to show up for work. When people talk about maternity leave, they usually don't mean the ability to not show up for work (which is a given in a free society), but rather the obligation of the employer to pay the employee whether or not she shows up for work. Well, there's two kinds of mandatory maternity leave: Job protected leave, in which the employee is entitled to be returned to work after their leave, which may or may not be paid, and Paid leave, in which the employee is entitled to pay while on leave, whether or not they are entitled to return to work (in principle; in practice, mandated paid leave is usually also job protected.). The US (for some employees of some employers) has federally-guaranteed job protected maternity (and paternity) leave, but no federal mandate for paid leave for either. Some states have additional job protected leave mandates and/or paid leave mandates.
  - xg15 8y ago
    > Employers are not and should not be required to pay you for work you are not doing. Most other developed countries seem to see that slightly differently. But ok, it is a stance you can discuss - however, it becomes enormously cynical when combined with the conservative aversion against welfare rights: So you're pregnant or sick and happen to not have enough resources to live from savings for a few months. If neither the state nor the employers are obligated to help you, who exactly is?
- coldtea 8y ago
  >I recognize that your comment is dripping of cynicism so I'm not entirely sure which parts are true. You're saying that you can't get maternity leave at Whole Foods (or in the entire USA maybe? Generally not, unless if you're some hot shit or in a well unionized job. Heck, in tons of jobs people are lucky to get their toiler breaks... >I don't know whether this is national or just that Whole Foods is somehow a horrible, terrible, no good employer) Of course it is national. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2018/02/05/the-worlds-richest-countries-guarantee-mothers-more-than-a-year-of-paid-maternity-leave-the-u-s-guarantees-them-nothing/?utm_term=.c02508877bde https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2018/02/05/the-w... >How about with a doctor's note that says that yes indeed, you're pregnant? Usually such a leave concerns the period after you've given birth. >Isn't there laws about that sort of stuff? In lower paying fire-at-will jobs, laws don't mean much. They can find 100 ways to fire you in ways that don't break the letter of the law if you ask for something the law supposedly guarantees. https://www.babygaga.com/15-times-bosses-fired-women-on-mat-leave-and-got-away-with-it/ https://www.babygaga.com/15-times-bosses-fired-women-on-mat-... >And wasn't Whole Foods supposed to be the upmarket, organic, do-goodery, happy happy joy joy supermarket? Public image doesn't mean anything for how a business operates. Apple was supposed to be "in the intersection of fine arts and technology" but has people in horrible working conditions, Google was supposed to "not be evil". You say that the parent is "dripping of cynicism", but I can't make heads or tails of your questions. Are you from abroad, and have no contact whatsoever with the USA (friends, etc)? Are you from a nordic country and are astonished that such things are possible? Or maybe you're from the US, but have too much wealth to ever be involved in working people's concerns? Because they sound dripping with out-of-touch, and I'm not even American (I just have many friends there).
  - lordlimecat 8y ago
    You should either clarify that you are talking about unpaid leave, or you should read your own articles. Maternity leave is guaranteed for most employees under FMLA. >They can find 100 ways to fire you in ways that don't break the letter of the law if you ask for something the law supposedly guarantees. That can be actionable too. If you are pregnant and they fire you, they are opening themselves up to so much liability it outweighs the few dollars they might save.
lordlimecat 8y ago
>If anyone believes individual cashiers asking for maternity leave is a good way to get it, then they've heard of FMLA. If we're talking about paid, that seems incredibly unusual for an hourly position at a retail store. Does anyone offer that?
- ethelward 8y ago
  In the Western world, but outside of the US? Yes.

village-idiot 8y ago

Lawyers were clearly involved in that press release.

skrebbel 8y ago

> If anyone believes individual cashiers asking for maternity leave is a good way to get it I recognize that your comment is dripping of cynicism so I'm not entirely sure which parts are true. You're saying that you can't get maternity leave at Whole Foods (or in the entire USA maybe? I don't know whether this is national or just that Whole Foods is somehow a horrible, terrible, no good employer) when you ask? How about with a doctor's note that says that yes indeed, you're pregnant? Isn't there laws about that sort of stuff? And wasn't Whole Foods supposed to be the upmarket, organic, do-goodery, happy happy joy joy supermarket? Seriously when I read stuff like this I wonder how it's possible that America functions, well, at all. Do they expect people to just bleep the groceries in-between the contractions? Hey yo don't worry I can breast-feed the little one with a single hand and use the other hand to bag your leek.

rawTruthHurts 8y ago
"You're saying that ..." No, that's not what he's saying, and no, a single person does not have the same leverage an entire collective has against a larger company.
- skrebbel 8y ago
  But.. You're pregnant! You're entitled to maturity leave right? Isn't that normal? Why do you need "leverage"? I'm not kidding, so I'll ask again, even clearer. Does America not have the concept of maturity leave by law? Is it like considered a perk or something? I'm so confused because, well, where I live when you're pregnant, tell the boss is exactly what you'd do! And then you get maturity leave. And the GGP says that that's somehow totally laughably ridiculous, so laughably ridiculous that it warrants sharing imgur gifs, and I really don't get it and I also still don't get how America can function at all when something as basic as this isn't, well, basic. ps. also you're not being very helpful with "No, that's not what he's saying" without telling me what he is saying.
  - morsch 8y ago
    There's apparently a federally mandated minimum of 12 weeks unpaid leave, with a number of exceptions. From what I can tell, Whole Foods does what it must, and not a lick more. https://www.everydayhealth.com/pregnancy/101/tip/fmla.aspx https://www.everydayhealth.com/pregnancy/101/tip/fmla.aspx
  - bengale 8y ago
    Where are you based? Are you sure unions aren't the reason you have these benefits?
    - skrebbel 8y ago
      I bet they are (Netherlands). I seriously don't get how anyone can interpret my comments on this thread as sceptical about unionization.
      - awiesenhofer 8y ago
        How are you inferring that from GPs comments? He just couldn't believe that the US doesn't have mandated parental leave - you know, like the rest of the world.
    - 8y ago
spacehome 8y ago
If an employee is pregnant, no one is forcing the employee to show up for work. When people talk about maternity leave, they usually don't mean the ability to not show up for work (which is a given in a free society), but rather the obligation of the employer to pay the employee whether or not she shows up for work. This meaning of 'maternity leave' is not a legal requirement of employment in the US, though some employers include it. Employers are not and should not be required to pay you for work you are not doing. If maternity leave is important to an employee, it's important to negotiate it when arranging employment, or failing that, negotiate a high enough salary that you can afford to save for a couple months without income. As of 1993, companies with 50 employees or more must offer unpaid maternity leave.
- dragonwriter 8y ago
  > If an employee is pregnant, no one is forcing the employee to show up for work. When people talk about maternity leave, they usually don't mean the ability to not show up for work (which is a given in a free society), but rather the obligation of the employer to pay the employee whether or not she shows up for work. Well, there's two kinds of mandatory maternity leave: Job protected leave, in which the employee is entitled to be returned to work after their leave, which may or may not be paid, and Paid leave, in which the employee is entitled to pay while on leave, whether or not they are entitled to return to work (in principle; in practice, mandated paid leave is usually also job protected.). The US (for some employees of some employers) has federally-guaranteed job protected maternity (and paternity) leave, but no federal mandate for paid leave for either. Some states have additional job protected leave mandates and/or paid leave mandates.
- xg15 8y ago
  > Employers are not and should not be required to pay you for work you are not doing. Most other developed countries seem to see that slightly differently. But ok, it is a stance you can discuss - however, it becomes enormously cynical when combined with the conservative aversion against welfare rights: So you're pregnant or sick and happen to not have enough resources to live from savings for a few months. If neither the state nor the employers are obligated to help you, who exactly is?
coldtea 8y ago
>I recognize that your comment is dripping of cynicism so I'm not entirely sure which parts are true. You're saying that you can't get maternity leave at Whole Foods (or in the entire USA maybe? Generally not, unless if you're some hot shit or in a well unionized job. Heck, in tons of jobs people are lucky to get their toiler breaks... >I don't know whether this is national or just that Whole Foods is somehow a horrible, terrible, no good employer) Of course it is national. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2018/02/05/the-worlds-richest-countries-guarantee-mothers-more-than-a-year-of-paid-maternity-leave-the-u-s-guarantees-them-nothing/?utm_term=.c02508877bde https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2018/02/05/the-w... >How about with a doctor's note that says that yes indeed, you're pregnant? Usually such a leave concerns the period after you've given birth. >Isn't there laws about that sort of stuff? In lower paying fire-at-will jobs, laws don't mean much. They can find 100 ways to fire you in ways that don't break the letter of the law if you ask for something the law supposedly guarantees. https://www.babygaga.com/15-times-bosses-fired-women-on-mat-leave-and-got-away-with-it/ https://www.babygaga.com/15-times-bosses-fired-women-on-mat-... >And wasn't Whole Foods supposed to be the upmarket, organic, do-goodery, happy happy joy joy supermarket? Public image doesn't mean anything for how a business operates. Apple was supposed to be "in the intersection of fine arts and technology" but has people in horrible working conditions, Google was supposed to "not be evil". You say that the parent is "dripping of cynicism", but I can't make heads or tails of your questions. Are you from abroad, and have no contact whatsoever with the USA (friends, etc)? Are you from a nordic country and are astonished that such things are possible? Or maybe you're from the US, but have too much wealth to ever be involved in working people's concerns? Because they sound dripping with out-of-touch, and I'm not even American (I just have many friends there).
- lordlimecat 8y ago
  You should either clarify that you are talking about unpaid leave, or you should read your own articles. Maternity leave is guaranteed for most employees under FMLA. >They can find 100 ways to fire you in ways that don't break the letter of the law if you ask for something the law supposedly guarantees. That can be actionable too. If you are pregnant and they fire you, they are opening themselves up to so much liability it outweighs the few dollars they might save.

lordlimecat 8y ago

>If anyone believes individual cashiers asking for maternity leave is a good way to get it, then they've heard of FMLA. If we're talking about paid, that seems incredibly unusual for an hourly position at a retail store. Does anyone offer that?

ethelward 8y ago
In the Western world, but outside of the US? Yes.