The Current Policy: To qualify for 12 weeks un-paid maternity leave through the Federal Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) in the state of Tennessee:

• You must have worked full-time with the company for at least 12 months
• The company must have at least 100 employees 

The Problem: Currently, FMLA leave is unpaid. It is left up to the employer to determine whether leave is paid or un-paid. Unfortunately, Tennessee does not require its employers to offer it’s families paid leave benefits. Furthermore, needing to have worked with a company for a year before being eligible to take out maternity leave is discriminatory for pregnant women who are needing work since this ensures that any pregnant woman who gets hired, will not have fulfilled that 12-month period before giving birth and needing maternity leave. This will force mothers to take un-paid time off or employers may require them to take out of their limited PTO to spend only a short amount of time with their newborn before needing to return to work.

The Solution: It is typical for a company to have a 90-day (3-month) evaluation with a new employee to see if the new-hire is still a proper fit. If this pregnant new-hire is deemed fit to stay on with a company after 3-months, then they should be compensated with ALL benefits: Being able to take out Maternity Leave. We believe amending this policy to decrease this 12-month probationary period to 3-months will vastly improve the financial stability and mental health of mothers, families, and newborns in Tennessee. Furthermore, paid leave SHOULD be amended within this policy. Our goal is to amend that every mother who is offered maternity leave will receive paid leave of at least 75% of their salary. 

What you can do: Sign this petition! Share your story! Send your local representative a letter with your story attached to this amendment proposal! It takes only a small amount of your time to improve the lives of thousands of women living in Tennessee who are unable to receive maternity leave upon giving birth to their newborn. Share your story in the comment section below!

ACT NOW!