Public Employee Press

BushWatch
PEP keeps an eye on the most anti-labor, anti-minority,
anti-woman president in American history

President plans to cut family medical leave benefit

Caring for a dying parent or a newborn infant; helping a spouse after a heart attack; assisting a family member who is undergoing chemotherapy — these are typical uses of the Family and Medical Leave Act.

Since President Clinton signed it into law 12 years ago, over 50 million Americans have taken leave under the FMLA, which lets American workers take a job-protected leave without pay when the need arises. Some 42 percent of the leave-takers were male and 58 percent were female.

Now, President Bush’s big business allies are pressing the U.S. Labor Dept. to roll back the illnesses for which employees can take leave. They are also seeking to restrict the amount of time employees can take for “intermittent” leave such as getting treatments for a chronic condition. The proposed changes are due to be issued by the U.S. Labor Dept. shortly. Currently, the FMLA allows workers to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave. Members who want information about their rights under the FMLA should contact their union rep.

Rather than expanding this vital resource for hard-pressed working families, the Bush Labor Dept. is looking to restrict its provisions. “Families are working hard and trying to hold everything together,” said Clerical-Administrative Employees Local 1549 member Brenda Walker, a single mother of five children. “This issue is especially important for single-parent families,” she said.

What ever happened to “family values?”