U.S. Federal Pay Regulations

20th anniversary of FMLA offers mixed reviews Butler, Kelley M . Employee Benefit News (Online) ; New York (Feb 5, 2013).

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ABSTRACT (ENGLISH) Twenty years ago today, President Bill Clinton signed into law the Family and Medical Leave Act, making a

landmark shift in the nation’s employment leave policy. Allowing for up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave upon the

birth/adoption of a child, tend to a personal illness, or care for a sick spouse, parent or child, the law is being hailed

today as a net success — yet even the law’s biggest champions acknowledge that the... FULL TEXT Twenty years ago today, President Bill Clinton signed into law the Family and Medical Leave Act, making a

landmark shift in the nation’s employment leave policy. Allowing for up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave upon the

birth/adoption of a child, tend to a personal illness, or care for a sick spouse, parent or child, the law is being hailed

today as a net success —yet even the law’s biggest champions acknowledge that the law’s limits still hamstring

both employers and employees two decades later.

In honor of Tuesday’s anniversary, the Department of Labor released a survey of more than 2,800 U.S. employers

and workers about how FMLA has affected them. The survey reveals that 16% of employees took FMLA leave

within the last year, 56% of those being women. Most FMLA leave-takers (57%) did so due to a personal illness,

while 22% used FMLA upon the birth/adoption of a child, and 19% did so to care for an ill parent, spouse or child.

Further, 40% of workers took FMLA for 10 days or less, with 70% reporting back to work within 40 days.

“The Family and Medical Leave Act codified a simple and fundamental principle: Workers should not have to

choose between the job they need and the family members they love and who need their care," Acting Secretary of

Labor Seth Harris says. "The FMLA has helped millions upon millions of working families manage challenging

personal circumstances at very little cost to their employers and with very little disruption in the workplace."

The “very little disruption” part is up for debate. Despite an overwhelming 91% of employers in the DOL survey

noting that complying with FMLA has either no noticeable effect or a positive effect on business operations, the

law has remained over the years a top-tier challenge for HR/benefits professionals in terms of administration,

reporting and combating abuse —not to mention the difficulty of keeping up with scores of FMLA-related lawsuits.

Further, even amid employers’ problems complying with existing law, FMLA’s biggest cheerleaders say one of the

law’s most gaping problems is that it isn’t broad enough.

Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, executive Director of MomsRising notes that, “FMLA has made many lives better, but

there’s still a lot of room for improvement. Only about half of workers are eligible for FMLA —and a significant

number of people who are eligible to use FMLA aren’t able to afford to do so, because it’s unpaid leave. Americans

agree, ensuring you can care for your loved ones and not have to give up a paycheck to do it should be a workplace

standard.”

Debra L. Ness, president of the National Partnership for Women &Families, the organization that penned FMLA,

concurs. “We intended the FMLA to be the first step on the road to a family-friendly nation. The law has been a

huge success, but it's time —past time —to take the next step. We are asking Congress to expand the law …and to

adopt a national paid family and medical leave program.”

Credit: By Kelley M. Butler

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Subject: Family leave; Family Leave Act 1993-US; Employers

Location: United States--US

Company / organization: Name: MomsRising; NAICS: 813940

Publication title: Employee Benefit News (Online); New York

Publication year: 2013

Publication date: Feb 5, 2013

Section: EBN News

Publisher: SourceMedia

Place of publication: New York

Country of publication: United States, New York

Publication subject: Business And Economics--Labor And Industrial Relations, Business And Economics--

Management

Source type: Trade Journals

Language of publication: English

Document type: News

ProQuest document ID: 1912111591

Document URL: https://search.proquest.com/docview/1912111591?accountid=33337

Copyright: Copyright SourceMedia Feb 5, 2013

Last updated: 2017-06-23

Database: ABI/INFORM Collection