Protect the Family and Medical Leave Act

In today’s political climate it is not enough to know that family-friendly laws exist; we must also be ready to defend them when threatened. The Family and Medical Leave Act is one example of a law that is periodically under threat of being changed to reflect the needs of business rather than working families.

Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)

In 1993, congress passed a law that provides employees with up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job protected leave to:

  • Care for a seriously ill parent, spouse, or child
  • To bond with a new baby or adopted/foster child
  • To take care of your own serious health condition

 To be eligible:

  • You must work for an employer with 50+ employees
  • You must have worked for the employer for 12 months and no less than 1250 hours

 Your employer must:

  • Continue health benefits during the leave
  • Post a notice detailing rights and responsibilities of both employer and employee under the law
  • Provide detailed written information about these rights, and include information in the employee handbook (if one exists) on employee rights and responsibilities under the law


For more information on FMLA and what states are doing to expand it, contact the National Partnership for Women & Families at (202) 986-2600 or visit www.nationalpartnership.org

© 2007 Labor Project for Working Families