"Being in the hospital while in labor was against their attendance policies."

I have had to leave a new job  at AT&T, that I've only had a couple of months, because  I could not find adequate daycare for my newborn son. Being in the hospital while in labor was against their attendance policies. I was fired because of their attendance policy, even though they knew the situation.

The hardest thing about this situation was that I was the only support system for my child. I had no family or government support. I tried as much as I could not take off, but the cards were already stacked against me.

This is me and my son

What I learned from this is try to hold on to is as much as possible. Your family has to come first, even though corporate America tells you otherwise.

Paid family leave is essential. There has to be a balance. Life is full of unexpected moments, everyone needs that backup plan to sort it out, regain balance, and get back to business.

It does no good not only to the worker for being stressed with an unexpected event, but as well no good to the company for having an under-producing worker.

— Tina K, Lake Stevens
(44th Legislative District)