Taking the Fight for Family and Medical Leave Act to Washington

Sept. 28, 2007 — -- This morning on our final stop on this week's Take Control of Your Life Tour, we take the fight to Capitol Hill. One of the things you've e-mailed us about most is the strain of balancing work and home -- especially when your family needs you most: a new baby, caring for an elderly parent or coping with an illness.

The Family and Medical Leave Act entitles many workers up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave with job protection. That has been a great service to some 60 million workers who've taken advantage of the law in their times of need. But a Department of Labor report in 2000 also found that some of the workers who needed the leave said they were unable to take it for financial reasons.

Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., has introduced an upgrade of the existing Family and Medical Leave Act that would provide up to eight weeks of paid leave, which would be paid for through an insurance fund financed by employees and employers equally. A person earning $30,000 a year would pay a premium of about $11 a week. That same person would receive 75 percent of his or her salary for up to eight weeks of qualified time off.

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