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Family & Sick Leave

In 1993, a law called the Family & Medical Leave Act (FMLA) was passed to give American workers up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave from their jobs to care for a newborn or newly adopted child, recover from a serious illness, or care for a seriously ill family member.  There is no doubt that the FMLA has helped millions of parents, but unfortunately, it hasn’t solved the dilemma that many of us still face when it comes to being able to earn a living while also caring for our families.  Here are a few of the reasons why:

• Most of us can’t afford to lose a paycheck when we have a baby or have to deal with a medical emergency.  In fact, these are moments in our lives when we usually need more resources not less.  So, even though we might be eligible for an FMLA leave, we either don’t take one at all or take less time than we really need.

• The FMLA only applies to companies with 50 or more employees.  So those of us who work for smaller businesses are not covered at all unless our employer happens to provide maternity/paternity leave or disability benefits.  And, even if they do, there is no guarantee that our job will be there when we are ready to return to work.

• Many of us don’t get any paid time off at all which means that we can’t do things like go to the doctor when we need to, take our children for regular medical check-ups, stay home from work when we or someone in the family gets sick, or help an aging parent who needs our care.  

It shouldn’t have to be this way.  And, that’s why ParentsWork has joined forces with several local and national advocacy groups to promote two promising solutions.

What You Can Do: Two Promising Solutions