Jump to content

Temp stop working to bond with newborn Paid Family Leave


Sam Kim

Recommended Posts

Does anyone have any experience with this?

 

I work in LA, work a bunch of new media and work off W4's. I'm technically an employee of the companies I work for. I don't work every day but I can be shooting anywhere from 5 days to 20 days a month for a company doing random things as a DP. Baby will be born in February and wanted to be able to take some time off.

 

Do I qualify for Paid Family Leave (PFL)? Being the holidays I can't get a hold of anyone until next week but I thought I'd reach out to y'all.

 

Cheers

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Premium Member

Does anyone have any experience with this?

 

I work in LA, work a bunch of new media and work off W4's. I'm technically an employee of the companies I work for. I don't work every day but I can be shooting anywhere from 5 days to 20 days a month for a company doing random things as a DP. Baby will be born in February and wanted to be able to take some time off.

 

Do I qualify for Paid Family Leave (PFL)? Being the holidays I can't get a hold of anyone until next week but I thought I'd reach out to y'all.

 

Cheers

 

Hi Sam. Take a look at this Dept. of Labor link: http://www.dol.gov/whd/fmla/

 

The Family Medical Leave Act covers you for 12 unpaid work-weeks during a 12 month period (with continued health coverage) for a number of different reasons. "The birth of a child and to care for the newborn child within one year of birth" is one of them. The FMLA guarantees that you will still have your spot when you are ready to return to work, but it is not paid leave. And if you are in any kind of pension system, that time usually has to be paid back, usually by attending your job (on the back end) for the amount of time you were absent. Since you are considered being "off-payroll" for that leave of absence, it does not count as pensionable time.

 

There are minute differences at the local level and I'm not sure how the fact that you are a part-time employee would affect your eligibility. But the link I gave you is at the federal level and that applies across the board. Read everything carefully and consult your employer.

 

Congrats on the baby and Happy New Year!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Premium Member

Thanks Bill. Do you know how it effects you if you're not a staffer but a freelancer? Should it work relatively the same way?

 

I can't speak to that, unfortunately. But I imagine that if you're not tied to a specific employer as even a part-time employee, your eligibility for FMLA may be rather limited.

 

Are you a member of a union?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

I can't speak to that, unfortunately. But I imagine that if you're not tied to a specific employer as even a part-time employee, your eligibility for FMLA may be rather limited.

 

Are you a member of a union?

 

600 eligible but dragging my knuckles on the ground to pay out the money to join. :] Contract services doesn't like my new media kind either.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Premium Member

 

600 eligible but dragging my knuckles on the ground to pay out the money to join.

 

Since you're not in already, that will make things more difficult. I would talk to the HR department to find out exactly what your status is regarding FMLA.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Looks like the qualifying period is 12 months with the same employer, which probably rules you out. There's a payroll size qualifier as well.

From what I can see FMLA is the gateway to PFL, unfortunately.

Edited by Mark Dunn
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Film workers rarely, if ever, qualify for government programs such as this. Thanks to the "gypsy" freelance lifestyle most have to lead. You are however expected to pay the same level of taxation as everyone else. Kinda blows for most people.

 

R,

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The self-employed pay slightly less national insurance here (I think that would be 'social security' in the US) but of course get rather less for it.

One pays into a private scheme, if one can afford it, to compensate, but I fear that the answer to the OP's question is his own savings, which isn't going to help him in only six weeks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Premium Member

...but I fear that the answer to the OP's question is his own savings, which isn't going to help him in only six weeks.

 

Yeah, unfortunately I think that will be the outcome as well. Another reason full-time employment with benefits is nothing to scoff at these days.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

hopefully someone in the PFL department will pick up tomorrow. i've worked on and off for several companies for 3 years. i'm also an adjunct professor at a school for 1.5 years so i'll see what that my benefit me also.

 

fingers crossed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...