Senate approves amended parental-leave bill
By Stanley Nelson
Of Ik* Kmartld
SAUKM — A state-mandated
parental leave policy is one step
closer to becoming reality for
Oregon employees as the
Oregon Senate passed an
amended bill requiring
employers to grant requested
leave on Tuesday.
House Bill 2321 would make
it unlawful for an Oregon
employer of 25 or more
employees to refuse to grant an
employee request for parental
leave of absence for up to the
Legislative
issues
k.
X
first 12 weeks of the birth of the
employee’s infant. It also ap
plies to the date an employee
takes physical custody of an
adopted child less than 6 years
of age.
In the case of a premature
birth, the leave can be extended
until the infant reaches the
developmental stage equivalent
of 12 weeks.
The bill, passed 22-6. now
goes back to the House for
reconsideration. The original
wording applied only to women
and proposed requiring Oregon
employers of 15 or more
employees to grant parental
leave if requested Men could
take leave only under special
circumstances.
There is a tremendous
amount of pressure on the fami
ly because of the increased
number of both spouses in the
workforce, said Sen. Larry Hill,
O-Springfield, chairman of the
Senate l.abor Committee. The
traditional non-worker,
whether man or woman, raising
the children in the household is
not an option for many. Hill
said. Both the father's and
mother's needs must be accom
modated. he said.
Hill quoted Oregon Commis
sion on Childcare testimony
taken in Senate labor Commit
tee. which states a minimum of
12 weeks time is necessary for
proper child/parent bonding, as
support for the bill.
If adopted, employers may re
quire parents to give 30-day
notice to take the leave. The
employee seeking parental
leave would have the option to
use accrued vacation, sick or
other compensatory leave dur
ing the period. The measure
will take effect |an. 1. 1088. if
passed.
If an employee fails to give re
quired notice, the employer
may reduce the parental leave
allowed by three weeks.
Both parents cannot take a
leave of absence simultaneous
ly. but the leave may be divided
among the two parents, each
taking part of the 12-week
leave. In addition, the leave is
not required to be granted with
pay unless specified by agree
ment or policy.
The bill exempts employers
from complying if the employee
has worked for less than (H) days
prior to the first day of parental
leave, if the employee has been
hired on a seasonal or tem
porary basis for a time defined
at the time of hire for less than
six months or if the employer
offers its employees other non
discriininatory options to
parental-leave benefits.
“The bill goes a long way In
addressing one of society's
more important problems."
said Sen. Anthony Meeker. K
Amity There is a special
burden placed on the household
when both spouses are in the
workforce, he said.
Sixty-two percent of women
are in the workforce today, and
Et al.
MEETINGS
Alpha Kappa Della,
sociology honor society, will
hold ail organizational meeting
today at 5:30 In Koom 700 PI/'.
All sociology majors and
minors are welcome to attend
EMU Board will meet today
at 3:30 In the hoard room The
agenda includes Child Cart* and
EMUB Governance Documents
The New Student Host Pro
gram will have its final host
meeting tonight at 7 in Gerl
inger Lounge Since this is the
last meeting of the year, we en
courage anyone who has signed
up to be a host, or anyone who
is interested in being a host, to
attend. We promise, it'll be
worth the wait!
Alpha Kappa Psi. profes
sional business fraternity, will
have a general business meeting
tonight at 6:30 in Koom 330
Gilbert. Guest speaker will be
Charlie Cole. The public is
invited.
LECTURES
Environmental l.aw lecture:
"Regulating Federal En
vironmental Policy by Citizen
Suits” by law professor Mike
Axline tonight at 6 in Room 214
Allen.
The Rev. Colin (ones, a black
Anglican priest from South
Africa, speaks on “The Spirit of
Apartheid” at a Hrown Hag
Forum today at 2:30 p.m. in the
EMU Forum Room.
MISCELLANEOUS
A Woman’s Sexuality Sup
port Group is being offered for
women concerned about being
lesbian or bisexual and need
support. Gall Donna Gould at
DeBusk Counseling Center,
080-3418
I .earn how “Fat is a Societal
Issue" and how cultural in
fluences affect personal hotly
image and eating behavior.
Eating Disorder Peer Health Ad
viser Alicia Sloan and
Fitness/Weight Peer Health Ad
viser Kristin Dunkleberg will
lead a lunchtime discussion to
day at 12.30 in EMU Century
Room A.
The Outdoor Program is
featuring the video “A Breath
of Whitewater" today at 12:30
in the Outdoor Program room in
the basement of the EMU The
video will give viewers a taste
of Idaho’s Payotte and Snake
Rivers.
Deadline for submitting Et als
to the Emerald front desk. 300
EMU. is noon the day before
publication. Et als are run only
once. Events with a donation or
admission charge will not be
considered.
women's needs need to be
recognized as well as men who
choose to be caregivers for the
newborn. Meeker said. Fifteen
percent of the women in Oregon
with children less than t year
old art; in the workforce.
Sen Frank Roberts. D
Portland. said the bill illustrates
the basic underlying problems
of society and seeks to correct
the problem at the origin. By
allowing more time for
parent/child bonding, it may
lead to fewer problems in the
family household in the long
run. he said
While fact* support the need
for a mandatory parental leave
policy, the bill will change the
hiring practices of Oregon
employers, making It more dif
ficult for women to find work
around the slate, said Sen. John
Hrenneman, R-Newport, who
opposed the measure
Sen. Grattan Koran*. D
Eugene, said ho disagrees with
Brenneman's argument.
Because the bill is non-gender,
discrimination is no longer an
issue. Both the father or mother
would have utyual opportunity
to take parental leave. ho said
The exemption for employers
of less than 25 (Hirst)ns excludes
300.000 employees in the state,
kcrans said.
keruns called the measure the
state's first concerted effort to
pass a parental-leave bill, and
he said he expects it to pass.
"This is an excellent, ex
cellent piece of legislation." he
saiti "It may provide a plan
where families may !>« able to
mesh together both career anti
family needs."
Movim*ento Estudiantil Chicano da Aztldn
Chicano/Latino Student Union
Second Annual Conference
WORKING TOWARDS AN IMPACT
MEChA, the Chicano/Latino Student Union, is formally inviting
you to attend our Second Annual Chicano Conference: Chlcano
Issues: La Migra, La Escuela, y El Campo: Working Towards an
Impact. The conference will be held at the U of O campus on
Thursday & Friday, May 21st and 22nd. We invite you to share our
culture and our ideas.
This year's conference is directed to the Univer
sity, the administrators, the professors and the
students of the U of O who can offer support to
the success of the Chicano/Latino students on
campus Through our conference, we want to
create awareness and bring attention to 1) the
discrimination by color and ancestry that the
new immigration law will create, 2) tne high drop
out rate of Chicano/Latino students creating the
consequent under representation of this seg
ment of the population in higher education, 3)
the health conditions and labor problems that
our Chicano/Latino population encounter in the
fields Our obiective is to work towards seeking
solutions
The workshops we have organised are the follow
mg La Migra and its repercussions with the
Chicano/Latino population, La Escuela and how
to recruit and retain Chicano/Latino students;
high school and college Issues El Campo
health, labor, and environmental issues We have
chosen several reputable leaders and scholars in
our Chicano/Latino community to speak and
lead workshops at the conference and assist us
in meeting our objectives
Our keynote speaker is Dolores Huerta, the Vice
President of the United Farm Workers, a fiery
leader of farm working causes She has worked
with Cesar Chavez since 1986 Huerta is one of
the main negotiators for the UFW and has spent
considerable time in Sacramento, California and
Washington D C , helping push through legisla
tion favorable to farm workers
Antonia Castaneda is active in the Chicano
movement and has spoken at many conferences
Casteneda is the co-editor of one of the first an
thologies of Chicano literature, Literatura
Chicana She is completing her Ph D in history
at Stanford University, with a specialty in labor
history in the Southwest Currently, Casteneda
works at the Office of Affirmative Action at
California State University. Sacramento
Jose Montoya is one ol the outstanding and bet
ter known Chtcano poets who has been invited
to read in Europe Presently, Montoya is a pro
lessor ol Art at California State University.
Sacramento, where he has taught lor 20 years In
addition to teaching art, Montoya is a musician
and an artist Last year. Montoya took his slide
presentation, “Chicanos the Endangered
Species-' to Pans and received a standing ova
lion He has published a book ol Chicano poetry,
Los de Ahajo, and is currently working on
another book
Thursday, May 21st
5 00-6:30 pm Registration of participants
• Guest speakers and social mixer
reception with music
6 30 Spanish Choir
7:00 Mariachi
8:00 Introduction of guest speakers by
MEChA director Poetry reading by
Jose Montoya
8:30 Folkway Dance Group
" Location: Room 167, EMU
Friday. May 22nd
9:00-9:30 am Registration of participants
9:30-9:50 General Session (Introduction)
WORKSHOPS
9:50-10:20 Chicano/Latino Education:
Manuel Pacheco
10:20-11:20 Chicano History: Antonia
Castaneda
11:20-12:20 pm Immigration: Ramon
Ramirez
12:20-1:30 LUNCH
1:30-3:00 Keynote Address: Dolores
Huerta
3:00-4:00 Art Show, (Chicanos. the En
dangered Species) by Jose Montoya
4:00-4:30 Discussion (Wrap up): Jose
Montoya
’ Location: Room 129, Law School
For more information call
MEChA 686-3508
University of Oregon Spring of 1987
Admission is Free.