Labor Updates (4/14/08)

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)
Family And Medical Leave Act Under Attack: President Bush is again setting his sights on workers’ rights, this time proposing changes to the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). The changes would make it harder for workers to take time off for medical and family emergencies. “These proposed regulations are nothing more than a goodbye gift from the Bush Administration to the business interests who have been trying to gut the Family and Medical Leave Act since it was enacted 15 years ago,” says AFL-CIO President John Sweeney. “The Family and Medical Leave Act is working. The Department of Labor’s own research says so,” adds Sweeney, referencing a Department of Labor (DOL) study that found workers taking FMLA had little effect on business growth, productivity and profitability. The DOL will now review public comments – gathered since the changes were proposed in February – and decide on final regulations. Click here to read more about the proposed changes.