Employer Grants Military Spouse Leave

My mother recently recently sent me an email about a newly enacted California law.

AB 392 - Urgency Legislation, Military Spouse Leave

Governor Schwarzenegger signed AB 392, which requires employers with 25 or more employees to give qualified employees as many as 10 unpaid days off when their spouse is on leave from military deployment. A qualified employee is one who works for more than 20 hours per week whose spouse is a member of the Armed Forces, National Guard or Reserves who has been deployed during a period of military conflict. The employee must provide the employer with notice within at least two business days of receiving official notice that their spouse will be on leave from deployment that s/he wishes to take leave. The employee must also provide the employer with written documentation certifying the spouse will be on leave from deployment. This is an urgency statute, so it is effective immediately for all employers with 25 or more employees.

Since my company claims to have uniform benefits across the country and we employ people in California, I thought I would see what our VP of HR would have to say about this. She said that while the company did not have this benefit at this time, she thought it was something the company would do because it is very supportive of military and military families. The VP forwarded it on to corporate HQ for review. I figured I would never hear from them again.

When I returned from Las Vegas, I had an email saying that the company would implement the policy, but that it would not be in place in time for the leave I was requesting. But that I should work directly with the VP in order to assure that I was able to take the time off I wanted while my husband is home on leave.

So when Jack Bauer comes home on leave next week, I will be off the entire time he is here. Almost 3 weeks together. Our total days together in 23 months will grow by almost 45%. To 65 ever-blessed days together.