Page 7 - aruba-today-20180310

A7
U.S. NEWS Saturday 10 March 2018

American Living:

'Chosen families' gain legal recognition in sick-leave laws

By JENNIFER PELTZ His friends didn't see it that federal contractors. The visioned when he moved know or research or see a
Associated Press way. more recent state and lo- into a studio at a Fitchburg, birth certificate, a wedding
NEW YORK (AP) — Yee Won Roberta Hunte readily kept cal measures cover an es- Massachusetts, home five certificate. We’re dealing
Chong had just been di- Chong company at che- timated 10 million private- years ago in exchange for with adults,” says Jim Hous-
agnosed with cancer. His motherapy, recalling her sector and government carpentry work. er, co-owner of Hawthorne
relatives were half a world Auto Clinic in Portland.
away in Malaysia and But some business groups
couldn't care for him. So and employment lawyers
he turned to the friends he are wary of managing sick
considers his "chosen fam- time around the “equiva-
ily." lent” of family.
"There was no question," “This open-ended provi-
says his longtime house- sion, which defies any
mate Brooks Nelson, a Port- definition or parameters, is
land, Oregon, charity ex- priceless” to sick-time slack-
ecutive who used his own ers, says Michael Soltis, a
sick days to accompany Connecticut lawyer who
Chong to doctor's appoint- tracks paid sick leave laws.
ments. "That's what family Lisa Horn of the Society for
does." Human Resource Manage-
Arrangements like theirs ment, a major association
have quietly been gaining of HR professionals, says the
political recognition. language “raises a host of
In the last two years, Ari- concerns” about its mean-
zona , Rhode Island and ing.
the three biggest U.S. cit- Others see better ways to
ies — New York, Los Ange- In this March 2, 2018 photo, Yee Won Chong, far right, poses with his "chosen family" in their home be inclusive. “Who gets to
les and Chicago — have in Portland, Ore. When Chong was diagnosed with cancer, Chong's longtime housemate Brooks decide who’s the ‘equiva-
passed laws that let work- Nelson, middle left, used his own sick days to take time off to care for Chong during chemo- lent of family?’” asks Rich-
ers use sick days to care therapy and surgery. Also pictured are Nelson's partner, Jeannie LaFrance, top left; her daughter, ard V. Reeves, a senior
for anyone who's like fam- Avalon LaFrance, 5; and the family dog, Fred. fellow in economics at the
ily to them. Similar laws also (AP Photo/Gillian Flaccus) Brookings Institution think
passed in Austin , Texas, just tank. He suggests simply let-
last month and St. Paul , friends' support when her workers, says Wendy Chun- The household now in- ting workers use sick time to
Minnesota, in 2016. Millions mother had cancer. Andrei Hoon of Family Values at cludes him and his hus- care for themselves or “an-
of federal employees and Joseph, who flew in to help Work, a paid sick leave ad- band; a 22-year-old blind other.”
contractors also have the Chong recuperate from vocacy group. woman with autism they However it’s worded, the
benefit. surgery, is a cancer survivor Workers don't get extra sick legally adopted last sum- meaning of chosen family
To some business inter- and part of a couple whose days for family-"equivalent" mer; his husband’s stroke- seems clear to Jana Clark,
ests, such laws put bosses home Chong shared for care; it's just a way they stricken ex-partner; a Brit- who is looking forward to
in the awkward position years in Brookline, Massa- can use their allotted time. ish expat who helps aides seeing Rhode Island’s law
of figuring out who's the chusetts. It's not yet clear whether care for the ex-partner and take effect in July.
"equivalent" of family. But "What kind of person would the broad definition spurs plays music with Darcan- After a stint in graduate
to Chong, the policies sim- I be if I didn't go in his time workers to take more of gelo and his daughter; and school, Clark, who is 30 and
ply "catch up with the ways of need?" says Joseph, a their sick days. the 72-year-old homeown- starting a job at a univer-
people are related to each retired teacher. Much of the impetus for er. sity, returned to Providence
other." Acknowledging the "equiv- chosen-family-friendly sick “Our system works for us, last summer because of her
At 46, the nonprofit-organi- alent" of family relationships leave laws has come from but only in spite of the way chosen family there. The
zation consultant has had is rooted in a 1969 regula- gay people. But New York the larger system works,” friends help one another
romantic partners but also tion about federal employ- City got complaints about says Darcangelo, 48, a in ways as big as open-
forged bonds with people ees' leave for military fu- workers being denied sick church spiritual coordinator ing homes when some-
in homes he has shared nerals in the thick of the leave to care for aunts and whose flexible hours allow one needs to stay, and
and in his circle of liberal Vietnam War. a fiancée before its law him to fill care gaps. as everyday as dropping
activists. A 1994 law extended the was broadened last fall, Regardless of laws, some off soup when someone’s
Still, as he asked for help "equivalent" definition to consumer affairs Commis- employers let employees sick. “Just the same kinds of
dealing with cancer, he federal workers' sick time, sioner Lorelei Salas said. use sick or “personal” days things,” she says, “a family
wondered: "Am I imposing and a 2015 presidential or- Wil Darcangelo's chosen to care for whomever they member might do.”
on them?" der did the same for many family is one he never en- choose. “I don’t need to q