Unpaid Leave: It’s About Time

President and Mrs. Bush know the grief of losing a child. Their daughter, Robin, died of leukemia in 1953. Back then, most women were homemakers, so caring for a terminally ill child did not jeopardize a job. Now, most women work, and few mothers or fathers can take time off to tend to a dying child or elderly parent without losing their livelihood.

The Family and Medical Leave Act would allow employees to take limited unpaid leave of up to 12 weeks for a serious medical emergency, and return to the job. The House is expected to approve the bill today.

The measure enjoys strong bipartisan support, but President Bush has threatened a veto because business leaders fear paying billions to hire replacement workers and continue benefits for employees who take the leave. The greatest expense would come from continuing health insurance coverage, according to the U.S. General Accounting Office, at $188 million annually.

The costs are much higher in lost earnings for workers who take time off for childbirth, the serious illness of a child or elderly parent, or their own medical emergency. Those losses, according to a study by the University of Michigan cost workers and taxpayers $108 billion annually.

The House bill exempts 95% of the nation’s employers--it covers firms with 50 or more workers--and protects 60% of the employees. Significantly, it would provide the only leave for many poor workers who enjoy few benefits.

President Bush favors voluntary family leave. Surely, his compassion is broader. No mother or father should have to choose between taking home a paycheck or taking care of a dying parent, or a dying child. Parental Leave The lack of a parental leave policy costs the nation money. To employees: $100 billion To taxpayers: $8 billion Source: Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan