NAM responds to Dept. of Labor report on FMLA.

Press Release Summary:



Responding to a report released today by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) regarding comments on the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), the NAM called for decisive regulatory changes that would clarify the rules and better define employee benefits. Jason Straczewski, director of employment and labor policy, explained that NAM members stand behind FMLA benefits but have serious concerns regarding medical leave and ambiguous regulatory definitions.



Original Press Release:



NAM Welcomes FMLA Report Documenting Employer Challenges



Employers Seek Clearer Rules

WASHINGTON, D.C., June 27, 2007 - Responding to a report released today by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) regarding comments on the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), the National Association of Manufacturers called for decisive regulatory changes that would clarify the rules and better define employee benefits.

"This report clearly shows there are legitimate business concerns when it comes to granting FMLA leave," said Jason Straczewski, director of employment and labor policy at the NAM. "It is a compelling record of the challenges employers face everyday in managing the workplace."

Straczewski explained that NAM members stand behind the benefit that FMLA provides to employees, but have serious concerns regarding medical leave, especially ambiguous regulatory definitions that have led to unintended abuses, putting jobs and companies in jeopardy. "The NAM has long advocated for DOL regulatory efforts to revise the FMLA implementing regulations, particularly with respect to notice requirements, defining serious health conditions and the use of intermittent leave," he noted.

"No one benefits when some employees take unscheduled leave with little or no notice forcing coworkers to cover their duties while absent," Straczewski said. "The DOL must ensure that the FMLA is administered as Congress intended. Employers seek clarity in the rules they follow so that workers who require medical treatment can receive it and return to the job healthy and ready to work."

The NAM was among those who submitted comments to the DOL in February 2007. The NAM based its comments to the DOL on a new member survey - conducted by over 400 NAM members of all sizes in diverse industries and geographical areas who represent over 900,000 employees.

To read the NAM comments in their entirety, visit nam.org/s_nam/sec.asp?CID=390&DID=388.

The National Association of Manufacturers is the nation's largest industrial trade association, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the NAM has 11 additional offices across the country. Visit the NAM's award-winning web site at www.nam.org for more information about manufacturing and the economy.

CONTACTS:
KAT SNODGRASS (202) 637-3094;
JASON STRACZEWSKI (202) 637-3129

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