My work plans

You may recall that I have a part-time job outside the home. I only work one day a week, which doesn't seem like much to me. It's hard, in fact, for me to remember that my job actually has a fiscal benefit for my family. I just think of it as having a personal benefit, because it is something I enjoy doing! (I'm a collection development librarian at a public library, where I select materials for adults.)

But Craig and I have been discussing what will happen after the baby is born, and it turns out that I actually am making a financial contribution to the household. I've arranged to take four months off from work, starting in January, and it's going to have a not-insignificant effect on our income. This is because the four months will be completely without pay -- as a part-time employee, I'm not entitled to any sort of compensation for maternity leave. (This is unlike after Isaac's birth, where even though I stopped working, I continued to be paid at my previous full-time rate for nearly six months. That's because I had saved up an enormous amount of vacation leave ahead of time!)

After my four month leave of absence is over, I'll return to working one day a week, but I'll only work a five-hour day for at least two months. (I'm hoping this reduced schedule will minimize the amount of time I need to spend pumping breastmilk while at work.)

Why would my boss agree to this plan -- especially because she is the one who will have to take over my job duties while I'm gone? Well, you may have noticed that the state of California is in poor financial condition, and this means the state is going to exercise its right to take back funds from counties and cities. As I work for a city library, we are facing budget cuts. Not substantial at this point, thankfully, but my boss actually appreciates the opportunity to cut my year's pay by more than a third -- this way she doesn't have to reduce the hours of someone who wants to work.

Does it seem like one-third of a part-timer's employment wouldn't make a difference to the library's budget? But I make $32 per hour, which means my one day of work is equivalent to an entire week's worth of work at the federal minimum wage of $6.55.

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And what are Craig's plans for taking paternity leave? And who will care for the children while I'm at work? Good questions! I'll have to answer them another time.