Archived News Release--Caution: information may be out of date.

OPA Press Release: Need Help Balancing Work and Family? Help is Just a Phone Call Away [01/17/1997]

For more information call: (202) 219-8211

The Labor Department announced today a new service to help Americans determine their rights under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). Beginning January 21, callers to a toll-free number--1-800-959-FMLA--will receive a brief explanation of the law, as well as an opportunity to receive more detailed information through the mail.

"There are few things more challenging to working people than balancing their job and family," said Maria Echaveste, administrator of the Department's Wage and Hour Division. "This toll-free number will provide a valuable service for workers who need information when the demands of work collide with the needs of family."

The new 1-800 service will be highlighted Tuesday, January 21, in a public service announcement following "A Child's Wish," a CBS made-for-television movie inspired by the stories of two families whose personal struggles were caught up in the drama of the Family and Medical Leave Act. The Act was the first bill signed into law by President Clinton and became effective August 5, 1993.

The movie, which features a cameo appearance by President Clinton, tells the stories of the Yandle and Weaver families who both lost daughters to terminal cancer. George Yandle lost his job while attending to his daughter's serious medical condition and later testified before a Senate Subcommittee prior to passage of the law. In 1993, after the law was passed, Kenneth and Rosemarie Weaver were able to take advantage of the family and medical leave law and spend time with their daughter during the last seven weeks of her life.

The Department of Labor's latest enforcement report found that most complaints resulted from an employer refusing to reinstate an employee to the same or equivalent job after taking time off. Ninety percent of complaints were successfully resolved with the employers' agreement to comply with the law, usually with a simple call. Since the law became effective, the Department has received over 6,000 complaints, completing compliance actions on 95 percent of those complaints against employers for alleged failure to comply with FMLA. The Department has taken only 16 legal actions for FMLA violations.

An estimated 67 million employees are covered and eligible for family medical leave. Covered employers must provide up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave in a 12-month period with job protection and continued health care coverage to workers for certain family and medical reasons such as:

• the birth and care of a child,
• the adoption or foster care placement of a child,
• care for an immediate family member (spouse, child or parent) who has a serious health condition, and
• when the employee is unable to work due to his or her own serious health condition.

More information about FMLA can be found on the Labor Department's web-site at http://www.dol.gov.

Note to broadcasters: A video news release on the Family and Medical Leave Act is available via satellite on Friday, January 17 and Tuesday, January 21. Feed times and coordinate information follow.

Archived News Release--Caution: information may be out of date.