Army Corps Workers Defend Parental Leave With Direct Action
The doctor recommended at least 18 weeks to recover from childbirth. But Jane (whose name was changed for this article) was entitled to only 12 paid weeks under the Federal Employee Paid Leave Act. So she put in a request with her employer, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, for advance sick leave to cover the other six weeks.
But her request was denied; the Army Corps said her work was too important for her to be gone that long. Jane asked to discuss a solution. Management suggested filing a grievance and declined to discuss it any further, despite its contractual “open-door policy.”