The federal Department of Labor issued some important guidance regarding the coverage of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) as it applies to all sorts of unconventional families. The DOL made clear that FMLA rights to get time off to care for children do not require a biological relationship with the child. Rather, anyone […]
Family and Medical Leave Act
Op-ed calls for paid maternity and family leave
An op-ed in the Washington Post calls for paid family and maternity leave because the 12 weeks of unpaid leave provided by the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) is grossly inadequate. Sharon Lerner traces the history of legislative efforts to provide paid leave to support workers’ families, the compromised law that is the FMLA, and […]
President signs expansion of FMLA for military families
Last week, President Obama signed the Fiscal Year 2010 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), an appropriations bill that includes an expansion of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) for military families. Specifically, it broadens the scope of caregiver and exigency leave for military families. Details should be available from the Department of Labor in short […]
Study shows that unions help make family-friendly workplaces
“Family-Friendly Workplaces: Do Unions Make a Difference?,” written by Jennifer MacGillvary of the Labor Center at the University of California-Berkeley and Netsy Firestein of the Labor Project for Working Families, concludes the unions lead to workplaces that, through policy and practice, promote a healthy and viable balance between work life and home life. Significantly, the study […]