We would like Karuk Tribal Council to make the following changes to their policy to provide a respectful and equitable workplace for professionals and all Karuk tribal employees with families or who plan to have families:
- We would like a policy like the Yurok tribes(see exhibit A) that allows babies in the workplace, per supervisor approval considering safety, for mothers and fathers.
- Separate leave amounts for fathers and mothers that does not take away from one or the other (paternity leave is important for maternal mental health, for breastfeeding support, and father bonding time)
- A minimum maternal and separate paternal leave amount of 8 weeks guaranteed separate from family medical leave.
- Remote options per supervisor approval for workers with children under 5 especially in areas where childcare is unavailable.
- Paid maternal and paternal leave separate from Family Medical Leave.
- On site breastfeeding allowed with a guarantee of 2-3 times daily to pump or breastfeed separate from lunch break (30 minutes each) and safe designated areas to breastfeed (as breastfeeding is recommended by the World Health Organization for two years for infant’s optimal health for their lifetime see exhibit C). This should include places for partners to be able to bottle feed.
- A guarantee that no parent will be fired for lack of childcare if none is available in their community.
- That council provide regular monthly updates on childcare facilities they are pursuing via the newsletter or social media so we can plan accordingly.
- Easily located resources like subsidized childcare options on the Karuk website and the employee handbook and known and promoted by Human Resources , all directors and supervisors for parent employees expecting a new baby.
- Changing tables in men’s and women’s bathrooms for employee and staff public use.
Yôotva.
Updates
December 9, 2022
The feedback from our community has been exhausting to process because each story reflects a real person struggling to balance their work and their children. I have been spending my nights writing letters to members of the council and while there is no official response yet I know they cannot ignore us indefinitely.
December 9, 2022
Reaching this level of visibility was once a distant hope that kept me up at night. The fatigue is heavy today but seeing this collective push for families gives me the resolve to keep going.
45 Comments
Policies are the enactment of our values. The current policies do not reflect the emphasis that our people can and should place on community, especially for parents and their new babies. Please update these policies to align with the care and kindness that honor our Karuk culture.
These policies will support families. I have never felt more vulnerable than when I was a mother of small children, it is when I needed the most support from my community and employer.
Not only having child care prevents me from applying for Karuk jobs that I have been asked to apply for by the current employees. I know I am qualified but childcare prevents me from working.
As someone who previously managed the Yurok tribe Head Starts/Childcare I know how big the need is for services in the Orleans area. We had families from Orleans carpooling and busing children 45 mins to an hour one way, (which is a tremendous length of time per day for small children) to get their kids to our centers for services
Non-tribal, son is a Karuk member. Separating family from work life is a colonial/western process that doesn't affirm the needs of families and children especially in areas that lack childcare. Supporting breast and chest feeding is especially essential to the health of young ones .
I am a new mother and a stream restoration practitioner. I have not sought work with the KDNR because of policies that do not support families. Not only are these policies a deterrent to new applicants, they create an unjust environment where people have to choose between work and family, especially in early childhood. Why replicate a Western paradigm of patriarchy and control, when it is unnecessary and detrimental. Whether or not these policies are maintained, I also believe that the Karuk Tribe must readily step up and serve their people by providing accessible childcare in Orleans and other Tribal communities. Thank you.
I am a new mother and a stream restoration practitioner. I have not sought employment with the KDNR because of the policies that aren't supportive of families. Not only are these policies a deterrent for new applicants, they create an unjust environment where people have to choose between family and work especially when children have just arrived in the world. Why replicate a Western paradigm of Patriarchy and control, when it's unnecessary and detrimental? If this policy is maintained, then I believe the Tribe needs to readily step up and serve its people with accessible childcare options.
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We would like Karuk Tribal Council to make the following changes to their policy to provide a respectful and equitable workplace for professionals and all Karuk tribal employees with families or who plan to have families:
- We would like a policy like the Yurok tribes(see exhibit A) that allows babies in the workplace, per supervisor approval considering safety, for mothers and fathers.
- Separate leave amounts for fathers and mothers that does not take away from one or the other (paternity leave is important for maternal mental health, for breastfeeding support, and father bonding time)
- A minimum maternal and separate paternal leave amount of 8 weeks guaranteed separate from family medical leave.
- Remote options per supervisor approval for workers with children under 5 especially in areas where childcare is unavailable.
- Paid maternal and paternal leave separate from Family Medical Leave.
- On site breastfeeding allowed with a guarantee of 2-3 times daily to pump or breastfeed separate from lunch break (30 minutes each) and safe designated areas to breastfeed (as breastfeeding is recommended by the World Health Organization for two years for infant’s optimal health for their lifetime see exhibit C). This should include places for partners to be able to bottle feed.
- A guarantee that no parent will be fired for lack of childcare if none is available in their community.
- That council provide regular monthly updates on childcare facilities they are pursuing via the newsletter or social media so we can plan accordingly.
- Easily located resources like subsidized childcare options on the Karuk website and the employee handbook and known and promoted by Human Resources , all directors and supervisors for parent employees expecting a new baby.
- Changing tables in men’s and women’s bathrooms for employee and staff public use.
Yôotva.
Updates
December 9, 2022
The feedback from our community has been exhausting to process because each story reflects a real person struggling to balance their work and their children. I have been spending my nights writing letters to members of the council and while there is no official response yet I know they cannot ignore us indefinitely.
December 9, 2022
Reaching this level of visibility was once a distant hope that kept me up at night. The fatigue is heavy today but seeing this collective push for families gives me the resolve to keep going.
45 Comments
This is a gendered issue. This is a colonization issue. Our current solutions are violent and non-traditional. Stop putting single adults and gender marginalized people against our working parents. Queer people want kids too.
Policies are the enactment of our values. The current policies do not reflect the emphasis that our people can and should place on community, especially for parents and their new babies. Please update these policies to align with the care and kindness that honor our Karuk culture.
These policies will support families. I have never felt more vulnerable than when I was a mother of small children, it is when I needed the most support from my community and employer.
Not only having child care prevents me from applying for Karuk jobs that I have been asked to apply for by the current employees. I know I am qualified but childcare prevents me from working.
As someone who previously managed the Yurok tribe Head Starts/Childcare I know how big the need is for services in the Orleans area. We had families from Orleans carpooling and busing children 45 mins to an hour one way, (which is a tremendous length of time per day for small children) to get their kids to our centers for services
Non-tribal, son is a Karuk member. Separating family from work life is a colonial/western process that doesn't affirm the needs of families and children especially in areas that lack childcare. Supporting breast and chest feeding is especially essential to the health of young ones .
I am a new mother and a stream restoration practitioner. I have not sought work with the KDNR because of policies that do not support families. Not only are these policies a deterrent to new applicants, they create an unjust environment where people have to choose between work and family, especially in early childhood. Why replicate a Western paradigm of patriarchy and control, when it is unnecessary and detrimental. Whether or not these policies are maintained, I also believe that the Karuk Tribe must readily step up and serve their people by providing accessible childcare in Orleans and other Tribal communities. Thank you.
I am a new mother and a stream restoration practitioner. I have not sought employment with the KDNR because of the policies that aren't supportive of families. Not only are these policies a deterrent for new applicants, they create an unjust environment where people have to choose between family and work especially when children have just arrived in the world. Why replicate a Western paradigm of Patriarchy and control, when it's unnecessary and detrimental? If this policy is maintained, then I believe the Tribe needs to readily step up and serve its people with accessible childcare options.
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This is a gendered issue. This is a colonization issue. Our current solutions are violent and non-traditional. Stop putting single adults and gender marginalized people against our working parents. Queer people want kids too.