Paid Family and Medical Leave Would Benefit 242,885 Latino Workers in Virginia
People across the country are working hard to make ends meet, yet they do not have the support they need to manage the demands of their jobs and obligations to their families. Even though the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) provides up to 12 weeks a year of unpaid leave for a worker’s own serious illness; to care for a seriously ill parent, child, or spouse; for the birth of a baby; or for the adoption or foster placement of a child, it has two significant weaknesses: it does not cover all workers, and the leave offered is unpaid. This leaves nearly three-quarters (74.9%) of Latinos without the ability to take a paid family leave.