What is ‘Family And Medical Leave Act – FMLA’
The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) was signed into law on August 5, 1993 by President Bill Clinton. The FMLA is a labor law requiring larger employers to provide employees unpaid leave for serious health conditions, to care for a sick family member, or to care for a newborn or adopted child.
Explaining ‘Family And Medical Leave Act – FMLA’
An employee who takes unpaid leave that falls under the FMLA is job-protected; that is, the employee can return to the same position held before the leave began. If the same position is unavailable, the employer must provide a position that is substantially equal in pay, benefits and responsibility. To qualify for FMLA, an employee must be employed by a business with 50 or more employees within a 75 mile radius of his or her work site. The employee must have worked for the employer for at least 12 months and 1,250 hours within the last 12 months. The FMLA mandates unpaid, job-protected leave for up to 12 weeks a year.
Further Reading
- The effect of state maternity leave legislation and the 1993 Family and Medical Leave Act on employment and wages – www.sciencedirect.com [PDF]
- Assessing the family and medical leave act in terms of gender equality, work/family balance, and the needs of children – heinonline.org [PDF]
- The economic costs of expanding the Family and Medical Leave Act to small business: Well-Intended public policy may have some unintended consequences – go.gale.com [PDF]
- Workplace compliance with the law: The case of the family and medical leave act – journals.sagepub.com [PDF]
- Job leaves and the limits of the Family and Medical Leave Act: The effects of gender, race, and family – journals.sagepub.com [PDF]
- The failure of the family and medical leave act: Alternative proposals for contemporary American families – heinonline.org [PDF]
- The growing costs and burden of family caregiving of older adults: a review of paid sick leave and family leave policies – academic.oup.com [PDF]
- Party politics and family policy: The case of the Family and Medical Leave Act – journals.sagepub.com [PDF]
- The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993: Paying the price for an imperfect solution – heinonline.org [PDF]
- The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993: A Longitudinal Study of Male and Female Perceptions – heinonline.org [PDF]
