Family And Medical Leave Act
The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, or FMLA, as it is usually called is thought to be one of the most important pieces of legislation by President Clinton. Housed in the Wage and Hour Division’s section on the Department of Labor’s website, along with guidance about break time for nursing mothers, and special rules for returning reservists, FMLA is in good company with other policies composed to ensure one overall theme, that families are supported no matter the circumstance. Whether it is an illness, a birth, a returning military personnel readjusting to their homes, FMLA is a security net meant to uphold a family to support itself. The legislation itself “…entitles eligible employees of covered employers to take unpaid, [yet] job-protected leave for specific family and medical reasons with no lapses in your employer provided health coverage under the same conditions one would have if they did not take leave (Dol.gov, 2015).
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In data analyzed by the National Partnership for Women & Families from the Department of Labor’s Key Findings FMLA Survey from 2012, it was found that FMLA is providing very needed support to nearly 60% of the U.S.’s workforce or 90 million people. The law apparently is helping both men and women manage their roles in work and family, the very reason it was created. Nevertheless, for the very reason it is doing marginally well, the FMLA could be doing so much more for the American people to portray a true investment in the ever-evolving definition of a family. 60% of the workforce is not good enough. Businesses with less employees, the report states, for example those business with 20 or more workers, should be legally bound to provide leave for their workers. I believe also, that part of the reason for the under-utilization of this policy is because those who could really use this law are not necessarily aware of it, particularly vulnerable populations, like military families. The most glaring reason, though, is the fact that this leave is unpaid. Allowing a person time to balance their lives is great, but to do this very often in the face of a life-altering change, be it a birth, death or acute illness, without pay people cannot utilize FMLA for as long as they may need it and inevitably a person who has to worry
In data analyzed by the National Partnership for Women & Families from the Department of Labor’s Key Findings FMLA Survey from 2012, it was found that FMLA is providing very needed support to nearly 60% of the U.S.’s workforce or 90 million people. The law apparently is helping both men and women manage their roles in work and family, the very reason it was created. Nevertheless, for the very reason it is doing marginally well, the FMLA could be doing so much more for the American people to portray a true investment in the ever-evolving definition of a family. 60% of the workforce is not good enough. Businesses with less employees, the report states, for example those business with 20 or more workers, should be legally bound to provide leave for their workers. I believe also, that part of the reason for the under-utilization of this policy is because those who could really use this law are not necessarily aware of it, particularly vulnerable populations, like military families. The most glaring reason, though, is the fact that this leave is unpaid. Allowing a person time to balance their lives is great, but to do this very often in the face of a life-altering change, be it a birth, death or acute illness, without pay people cannot utilize FMLA for as long as they may need it and inevitably a person who has to worry