National Parents' Day: Mario D'Anna Jr.

 CELEBRATING ANIMATION FAMILIES

In celebration of National Parents' Day on July 25th, we chatted with parents Mario and Laura D’Anna about life with daughters Rebecca (6) and Hazel (11). Mario is a director at Bento Box Entertainment. His work can be seen on Bob’s Burgers, Central Park, and The Great North.

Conversation: Mario on Fostering & Adopting while Working in Animation

I don't have to tell anyone here how consuming our jobs can be on our time and attention let alone add something completely unrelated to the pile that's a heavy job in itself. However, fostering to adopt was Laura's and my best hope for a child so we were determined to make it work. The hardest part about fostering and working in the Industry is managing a consistent schedule on the animation side of things while dealing with the radically unpredictable and regulation heavy side of the foster care system. It's a lot of plates to spin and sometimes a couple will fall but you just keep on spinning as best you can. 

 

Conversation: Mario on Co-Parenting in the Face of COVID

I could never have done any of it without Laura. She is the force that makes our family function. Around 5 years ago our efforts paid off with the arrival of our beloved Rebecca. After her we got our new home and I transitioned from Storyboard Artist into Director where my free time became more and more sparse. Laura and I wanted another child but we took a break from fostering when we adopted Rebecca and our [fostering] license expired so [over the course of a year] we had to take training classes, attend meetings and fill out all the paperwork again to get it back. When we just finished everything we needed to get us reinstated......then came COVID! Since Late March of 2020 I've been directing in my modified walk-in closet and living on Zoom while being a Parent and all in the same location. But, with the bad there's always some good around the corner. During this time we had the arrival of our soon to be second daughter Hazel! We're currently in the process of adopting her but to Laura and myself she's already part of the family. Although we're currently stuck working from home it has given both Laura and myself the opportunity to know Hazel better and be there for both kids as much as possible. It's been an interesting ride balancing career and fostering but Laura and I are more than up for it.

#AnimationFAM

California's New Governor Prioritizes Family Leave

Governor Newsom has just proposed the longest family leave in the nation.

And, it's about time! 

Equality
Not only does Governor Newsom's proposal expand existing leave for dads, it also incorporates benefits for non-traditional families. Under this plan, each parent/caregiver would be entitled to three months of paid leave, for a combined total of six months. This is an improvement of current policy, which restricts the majority of leave - and childcare responsibilities - to birth moms. When men [and secondary parents] also have - and take - family leave, gender equality grows both at home and in the workplace. This is good news for children, parents, and employers alike.

Health
Public health and economic research shows that providing up to six months of paid parental leave—the norm in most developed countries—leads to positive health and educational outcomes for children, [and] greater economic security for parents...reports Newsweek. Countries incorporating longer leave policies have already shown they are paying dividends far into the future.

Support
While California's current Paid Family Leave benefits are employee-funded, many employers are already pitching in additional resources - and Americans support that. Approximately 80% of Democrats AND Republicans are already in favor of employer-funded paid leave. Working Mother's 2018 list of the 100 Best Companies shows what's possible: an average of 11 fully paid parental leave weeks, back-up childcare, flexible work arrangements, and fertility/surrogacy support.

Happiness
Expanding paid leave should bring a smile to everyone's face. After studying happiness levels in 22 countries, sociologists found the biggest happiness predictor to be the presence of family policies making it less stressful and less costly [to] combine childrearing with paid work. And such policies seemed to increase the happiness level of childless individuals as well.

Family Leave is a win for everyone.

Tell Governor Newsom you support his proposal.

For more stats in support of family leave, check out this presentation created by TAG's own Family Leave Subcommittee.

#newsom #familyleave #california #animationisfamily

FORD leads the industry with improved Parental Leave - Personal Days - Wellness Policies

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

During this 1st week of 2019 we're highlighting

FORD MOTOR COMPANY

for it's newly improved 

parental & personal leave & wellness policies.

But Ford makes cars, you say. What's that got to do with animation? Here in the Family & Personal Leave Subcommittee, we read press releases from employers across the United States to follow trends in family & personal leave and wellness. When we see an industry standard begin to shift, we take note. When a policy improves for union workers, we downright celebrate! With improved corporate wellness policies in 2017 and 2018, and union negotiations just around the corner, we're following the trend at Ford.

Here's the scoop for Ford employees in 2019:

Wellness at work - Employees now benefit from yoga on campus, quiet rooms for prayer or meditation, and ergonomic workstations.

Flexible sick leave - Now all 10 sick days can be used for personal leave, too. This includes caring for a sick child or family member or for attending personal appointments. No restrictions. (Note: TAG's Negotiation Committee proposed flexible sick days/personal days to the AMPTP in 2018.)

Flexible work schedules for new parents - Now when new parents return to salaried work at Ford, they'll have the option of working part-time at full pay for their first month back. This adjustment period will support worker wellness, as well as company production.

Fully paid parental leave - Salaried employees now receive 8 fully paid weeks of parental leave, with birth moms receiving an additional 6-8 weeks of fully paid disability leave. (Note: TAG's Negotiation Committee proposed fully paid leave to the AMPTP in 2018.)

In an interview with Fortune, chief human resources officer Kiersten Robinson shared Ford's primary goal: What was really important to us was that the leave provision applied to both men and women. We wanted to make sure that everyone felt as though this was a priority and they had the flexibility to take this time with their new family.

Hourly employees are next in line. Improved policies are under consideration for the next time the automaker negotiates its collective bargaining agreement with the United Automobile Workers union, said Julie Lavender, Ford’s director of personnel relations and employee policies. Ford executives and labor affairs are already discussing how they might adapt the policy to hourly workers by adding to union members’ medical leave time off and offering the one month “ramp-up” period back to work. 

It's about wellness, says Ford. 

These improved policies signify a shift from offering just a standard health plan to a more holistic approach focused on individual well-being.

#animationisfamily #familyleave #ford #union #collectivebargaining #labor #health #family

Expanding the Definition of Family

In 2018, our Guild membership includes many diverse families and relationships. We believe that our contract should reflect this. We propose adopting the expanded definition of family established by the United States Office of Personnel Management, Leave Administration. An inclusive family definition means that all Guild members will have support when we need it most. #animationisfamily #supportpaidleave #negotiations2018