American Forum

AMERICAN FORUM

By Linda Meric

When his first two children were born, Daniel Wells didn’t even think of asking his employer for leave. But when his wife became pregnant with the third, he better understood the need to bond with a new baby.

So Daniel, an arborist, requested time off following the birth. He was shocked when he got the answer: request denied. The company said it couldn’t get along without him, not even for a few weeks, and cited a “substantial economic harm” clause in denying the leave.

After the birth, Daniel found himself back at work in three days – instead of three weeks.