FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE ACT AND PART-TIME EMPLOYEES

WHEREAS, the Family and Medical Leave Act was passed by Congress so that most employees in the private and public sector have a guarantee of certain benefits and the right of return when they require leave to take care of themselves or a family member during a time of medical crisis; and

WHEREAS, more people are taking care of an elderly parent or grandparent, and the FMLA release time would alleviate some of the added responsibility; and

WHEREAS, an employee must work 1,250 hours in a 12-month period to be eligible for the FMLA; and

WHEREAS, due to budget cuts and the reduction of state aid to public schools and the reduction in force and structural employment trends in the private sector, many districts and other employers are reducing the employee hours from full time to part time; and some sectors such as higher education have already replaced primarily full-time staff with part-time employees; and

WHEREAS, these reductions of hours have negatively impacted those employees who are no longer eligible for the FMLA; and

WHEREAS, in many incidences, those employees miss the 1,250-hour requirement by merely a few hours:

RESOLVED, that the American Federation of Teachers advocate for changes in federal law and the regulations of the Department of Labor to seek a reduction of the required hours to enable a greater number of employees to gain eligibility to the FMLA.