Working Families Need Paid Family and Medical Leave

Since the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) was passed in 1993, workers have used the FMLA more than 100 million times to take job-protected time off to recover from their own serious illness, to care for a seriously ill family member or to bond with a newborn or newly adopted child.

But millions of workers cannot afford to take the unpaid leave the FMLA provides. Among workers who need family and medical leave but do not take it, three in four said they did not take the leave because they could not afford to miss a paycheck. Other workers don’t qualify for the FMLA because they work for businesses with fewer than 50 employees, or work part-time.

Working families should not have to choose between the jobs they need and the families they love. That’s why we’re working with policy makers and advocates across the country to support a range of innovative proposals to make paid family and medical leave more available for all working families.

Senator Dodd and Debra Ness discuss the need for paid family leave on Good Morning America. 

Good Morning America featured the National Partnership on an important segment focused on the glaring need for paid family leave. The segment includes a powerful story about one mom struggling to make ends meet and concludes with a live interview with Senator Dodd.
>>Watch the video segment on ABC.com.