This is probably the last blog entry I'll write for some time. I'm expecting my first child and will be taking some time off. Fortunately, my job will be held until I return sometime in August. The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) of 1993 stipulates that:
Covered employers must grant an eligible employee up to a total of 12 workweeks of unpaid leave during any 12-month period for one or more of the following reasons:
* for the birth and care of the newborn child of the employee;
* for placement with the employee of a son or daughter for adoption or foster care;
* to care for an immediate family member (spouse, child, or parent) with a serious health condition; or
* to take medical leave when the employee is unable to work because of a serious health condition.
Recently, the law was amended, allowing an immediate family member to take up to 26 weeks off to care for an injured member of the Armed Forces, National Guard, or Reserves.
To learn more about the FMLA, you can take a look at the Department of Labor's website or at the following books in the library:
Your rights under the Family and Medical Leave Act / Margaret C. Jasper
The essential guide to family and medical leave / by Lisa Guerin & Deborah C. England
Source:
U.S. Department of Labor, Employment Standards Administration Wage and Hour Division http://www.dol.gov/esa/whd/fmla/.