February 2023 marks the 30th anniversary of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and president of the National Partnership for Women and Families, Jocelyn Frye, is on talking about the impact of this law on women in the workplace.

“The National Partnership for Women and Families, a nonprofit advocacy group, estimated that over 10 million American workers in 2022 needed leave but did not take it. It found that an estimated two-thirds of those workers ‚Äì or about 7 million Americans ‚Äì did not take needed leave because they could not afford it.”

“Jessica Mason, a senior policy analyst at the National Partnership for Women and Families, tells KMOX that it’s a big issue, because almost every single person in the U.S. is going to need time away from their job.”

“Nearly 1.5 million Oklahoma workers don’t have paid family and medical leave through their jobs. That means 74% of working people in the state, if they’re welcoming a new child or have to take time off work for medical appointments for themselves or their loved ones, are put in the impossible situation of having to choose between their families, their health and their paycheck.”

“Led by the National Partnership for Women & Families, the Labor Movement fought in coalition with women’s, disability, children’s, religious and senior citizens’ groups.”

“According to the National Partnership for Women and Families, without a national paid leave policy and the rising costs of living, states across the U.S. are taking it upon themselves to find a solution.”

“We heard a lot of stories from federal employees as we advocated for FEPLA several years ago,” Michelle McGrain, director of congressional relations for the National Partnership for Women and Families, told Government Executive.

“In terms of parental leave, I think this is absolutely one of the best in the country for state government employees,” said Vasu Reddy, senior policy counsel for economic justice at the National Partnership for Women & Families.

“A decision to ban mifepristone nationwide would be devastating,” said Shaina Goodman, director for reproductive health and rights at the National Partnership for Women & Families. “This is a very deliberate, coordinated strategy by the anti-abortion movement to attack abortion every which way they can, and they’ve found in Kacsmaryk a judge who has a track record of making decisions based not on law or evidence, but on partisan ideology.”

“It’s been 30 yrs since the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) making it a federal law that 12 weeks of Unpaid Family Leave was due any worker who met certain requirements, was signed into law by Bill Clinton; it was supposed to be “just the beginning” of support for families who needed time off for the birth of a child or to take care of sick relatives”

It’s time we make comprehensive, paid family and medical leave a reality for every worker in America.

“Women have been expected to take on [caregiving] and handle it without complaint and largely without support,” says Jocelyn Frye, president of the National Partnership. “The Family and Medical Leave Act rejected the premise that it‚Äôs a woman’s lot in life to do that work. Instead, what the FMLA said is that all workers have some sort of care need, and we need to be able to ensure that those folks can take time off and come back to their jobs.”

“The law’s longevity is a point of pride for organizations like the National Partnership for Women & Families, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that played a lead role in drafting the FMLA and advocating for its passage.”

Jocelyn Frye, the president of the National Partnership for Women and Families, says: “The FMLA was a groundbreaking step forward, but our work is not done. We cannot continue to ignore the care needs of workers and their families. Our nation’s leaders need to step up and make the choice to enact policies that enable workers to do their jobs and care for their families without putting their livelihoods at risk.”

“The recent article focusing on priorities for the 2023 legislative session (“Reconsidering priorities,” Jan. 9) missed one critical opportunity: passing paid leave for New Mexico. No one should have to choose between a paycheck and taking care of their family. And research shows paid leave is good for businesses and the economy… “

“According to the National Partnership for Women & Families, “only 25% of United States workers have paid family leave through their employers, and just 41% have access to personal medical leave through employer-provided short-term disability insurance.””

“The National Partnership for Women & Families has a guide that recommends ways employers can better support pregnant employees on the job. For example, extending accommodations to “all workers, regardless of part-time or temporary status,” not forcing workers to accept unnecessary accommodations, providing paid sick leave and family leave, not docking employees for tardy arrival, and eliminating ‘just-in-time’ scheduling, which gives employees very little notice of their shifts.”