Women's Rights Employment Law Blog

With all the pro-family, pro-life, and pro-ethics faith systems in place, one wonders why discriminations keep recurring for employees who take leave for family needs, or become pregnant or join rallies to oppose war.
This is the internal contradiction of a country governed by corporates. On one hand the empty rhetoric of “freedom” and on the other, the actual limitations brought on through (im)moral arguments.

In a Newsday editorial today, Denise Hughes and Carolyn Sevos make a case for the rights of workers to take care of their kin. Although it sounds pretty elementary advocacy, the reality is that none of those that take advantage of the federal Family and Medical Leave Act, actually get paid for the duration. It means more than 35 million Americans who take leaves to attend to sick family members remain unpaid throughout those periods. An Act is there to facilitate some good, but its spirit of implementation is yet to be broadened to be inclusive enough. Or considerate enough.

Hopefully, the Families in the Workplace Act pending before the legislature expanding New York State's Temporary Disability Insurance program will be brought to force. This provides a modest wage replacement for employees who need time to care for family or household members with chronic medical problems, medical emergencies or when they give birth to or adopt a child. Although the flip side still exists: it’s limited to just 12 weeks. And the workers need to justify the leave as adhering to similar clauses that allow for temporary disabilities leaves.