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Fmla Pros And Cons

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On February 5, 1993 Public Law 103-3 103d Congress also to be known as the Federal Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) was made into a federal law by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the United States of America. [1]
The inception of the Family Medical Leave Act was for several reasons. It was clear that the need for both parents to work was increasing and the “stay at home Mom” position was no longer the norm. It was now necessary for both parents to give financially in order to support the financial needs of the family foundation. The United States Government recognized that by enacting this law they were in fact contributing to the stability of the family structure and the safety and security of innocent children. This also helped …show more content…

In summary, the United States government found that it was important for both Mother and Father to have equal opportunity to take part in early childhood care and care of any family member that also may have a serious health problem. To help prevent families from being forced to choose between their job, and supporting their family and parenting obligations, prevention of discrimination against one gender and provide job security for adults who may have serious health conditions.
The intended purpose of the act was to allow families to balance work and the needs at home, entitle employees to be permitted to take a leave when necessary to care for their child/children, spouse or parent with a serious health condition, to help prevent employment discrimination and all while protecting the interests of the employer. This leave entitles employees to a 12 week unpaid leave within a 12 month period. It is 26 weeks for service men and women and their families. There are several components of this law that pertain to the number of employees, location of employees and the amount of time an employee has at their place of employment. Some employers may require you to use any accrued sick time, personal days or vacation time before the unpaid period …show more content…

Employers are limited to what they are allowed to ask and employees are allotted time off before being required to provide medical documentation supporting their request for leave. These gaps in detail in the documentation of the Family Medical Leave Act are giving dishonest employees an opportunity to obtain time off without any due explanation. Sue Sumler from the Manufacturers' Alliance/MAPI explains the problems caused by a vague definition of serious health condition. "Because the definition of a 'Serious Health Condition' is vague, almost any¬one can find a physician to certify that they have a chronic condition that meets the definition. Many of this company's intermittent leaves are for migraine headaches. The physician certifies that migraines may occur at any time. Some employees approved for leave for migraine headaches miss four-five days a month and more. For some, it appears that FMLA has given them an extra 60 days off work."

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