Submitted by Judith Stadtman Tucker, Feb 21, 2008 11:22

Ms. Furchtgott-Roth would have us believe that expanding a highly successful, cost-effective policy which allows workers with serious or chronic health conditions to take time off without losing their jobs will result in a nightmare scenario for law-abiding Americans who depend on public safety and transportation workers for essential services. But if the ability to take FMLA was going to result in such a catastrophic breakdown it probably would have happened by now, given that for the last 15 years, the law has covered nearly 60 percent of the private sector workforce and the majority of municipal employees. In fact, according to the only comprehensive study on the business effects of FMLA use, over 80 percent of employers reported no negative impact on productivity or profits from the type of intermittent leave-taking Ms. Furchtgott-Roth decries as a life-threatening public safety hazard.

Ms. Furchtgott-Roth further points to an epidemic of employees "faking chronic illnesses for themselves or relatives, and leaving their coworkers to cover for them," disregarding the fact that under the present law, workers are required to provide formal medical certification for covered health conditions and employers may deny leave if medical information is deemed invalid or incomplete. As for how widespread the abuse of FMLA leave is and the actual impact on business operations, anecdotal accounts from anti-FMLA employers and business groups are not supported by the latest methodical research on the impact of FMLA use, and even the Department of Labor has acknowledged that organizations reporting a high incidence of problematic leave taking may be experiencing the effects of bad management and an inability to adapt to the realities of the 21st century labor force.

Judith Stadtman Tucker
Editor, The Mothers Movement Online
Portsmouth, NH

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