Have
you ever heard of the Federal and
Medical Leave Act (FMLA)? No? Well don’t worry, you are not alone. Millions
of Americans don’t know that this piece of legislation exists. What’s even more
problematic is that millions of American employees don’t know that this piece
of legislation grants them certain rights.
According
to the United States Department of Labor’s
website: “The FMLA
entitles eligible employees of covered employers to take unpaid, job-protected
leave for specified family and medical reasons with continuation of group
health insurance coverage under the same terms and conditions as if the employee
had not taken leave.” Under the FMLA, eligible employees are entitled to twelve
workweeks of leave in a 12-month period for various health-related situations
in which the employee must either care for him/herself or a spouse, child, or
parent with a serious health condition.
Sadly,
millions of Americans are unaware of their rights and have not taken necessary leaves
of absence as a result. Even worse, for LGBT Americans, the same rights do not
always apply. The FMLA does not cover same-sex
partners or spouses, meaning some employees have been denied the right to take
time off from work to be with their spouse during a time of need. This is why the Family and Medical
Leave Inclusion Act (H.R. 2364; S. 1283) was introduced last year.
This new bill would expand the FMLA to permit an employee to take leave
to care for a same-sex spouse or domestic partner who has a serious health
condition. Unfortunately, the bill is still in an early stage of the
legislative process and does not seem to be progressing due to continued
confusion over the FMLA.
Luckily,
the U.S.
Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) has realized that the FMLA—even
for those who do know it exists—has its ambiguities and downfalls. Consequently,
WHD will host a webinar
on June 27, 2012 at 2:00 p.m. EST that will discuss the basic provisions of the
FMLA using the new FMLA
Employee Guide. This webinar, which is open to the public, is aimed to
answer the public’s general questions regarding the FMLA and its enforcement.
Take
Action: Registration is required to participate in the
webinar. Please click
here to register today and tell your friends
and family members to register as well. To order a printed copy of “Need
Time? The Employee’s Guide
to the Family and Medical Leave Act,” please click
here and search for “FMLA Employee Guide” in the list of publications
provided. In the meantime, contact your members of
congress and tell them that you support the Family
and Medical Leave Inclusion Act because LGBT employees deserve the same
benefits as their straight counterparts. Together, we can ensure
that every employee is aware of their rights.
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