Barack Obama Seeks More Generous Medical Leave For Military Families, Airline Workers

WASHINGTON -- The Labor Department announced Monday that it plans on amending the federal rules on family and medical work leave, making it easier for both airline workers and the relatives of veterans to take a protected break from work without fear of losing their jobs.

Department officials said the changes will fix a two-decade-old technicality that made it difficult for airline crews and pilots to accrue medical leave, thanks to their unique hours and scheduling. The changes will also provide more generous leave opportunities to military families, allowing caregiver leave to relatives of veterans for up to five years after military service in any branch. Under current law, such leave is only eligible to relatives of active National Guard members and reservists.

On a call with reporters, Labor Secretary Hilda Solis tied the changes to themes from President's Barack Obama's recent State of the Union address, in which he said, "Americans who work hard and play by the rules every day" deserve a "fair shot" in the modern economy.

"President Obama has said this is a make-or-break moment for the middle class," Solis said. The work-leave changes, she went on, are "critical to rebuilding an economy where hard work pays off and responsibility is rewarded."

The 19-year-old Family and Medical Leave Act allows eligible workers to take an unpaid break from work to deal with certain family or medical issues -- for instance, up to 12 weeks for the birth or adoption of a child. According to Veda Shook, president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA union, many airline crew members haven't qualified for the protections because of the way their employers tally their hours. The new rule, she said, will better account for the unique scheduling for flight attendants, many of whom have to work layovers and remain on-call for long stretches.

"It was an uphill battle for many years," Shook said Monday. "This provides peace of mind and real protection for hundreds of thousands of families."

Representatives with the industry trade group Airlines for America said they'll be reviewing the proposal related to airlines and providing feedback to the Labor Department. The rules will undergo a public-comment period before being finalized.

The changes in the law for military families will take into better account the strain of repeat deployments and the long-term struggles of veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. For example, by allowing leave at any point within five years of the military service period, a relative could theoretically care for a veteran suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder whose symptoms weren't immediately evident.

Comments

[mater]

02:55 PM on 01/31/2012

Yes, and what about the nurses and doctors, anesthesiologists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, neurosurgeons, burn specialists, psychiatrists and psychologists, protheses people--on and on--they were always "right there", away from their families for long periods of time, saw the worst. Probably more than one came home with PTSD of their own to sort out. And the tax breaks the President is authorizing to employers who hire vets seems to be working in some areas.

[askido351]

01:42 PM on 01/31/2012

improved medical leave for military families? who needs that. that's socialism. We dont need that in Gods country. LOL

[aFtersootdamP]

06:43 AM on 01/31/2012

As he plans to fire them.

[camtownpa]

10:27 PM on 01/30/2012

All these comments about whether Obama or Republicans/Democrates are doing the right thing just look across the Atlantic and see what the EU is doing to the masses........Just make more Laws and regulations that people have to follow whether they make sense............1984 is just starting

[Stayalert]

05:33 PM on 01/31/2012

Gosh you are behind... 1984... ie: patriot act? ring a bell?

[MelanieMatthias]

09:24 PM on 01/30/2012

Yep! That's my wonderful President! He just keeps on doing good for the country dispite those that do nothing butharm.

[cadawa]

07:43 PM on 01/30/2012

Like the GOP that he seems more ideologically in sink with than traditional Democratic values, almost all his policies and decisions have hurt the middle class. You can see it in the stats.
When he says that it's 'make or break for the middle class' Is he trying to tell us he's going in for the kill?

[askido351]

01:44 PM on 01/31/2012

OH YOU

[Sue-in-Jersey]

06:08 PM on 01/30/2012

Finally a President who shows true respect and appreciation for our military men and women. The last guy was pro-US forces in front of cameras, while gutting military benefits and sending them into harm's way for his own profit.

[elizabethlee]

03:58 AM on 01/31/2012

sue, unfortunately this was one of the last items on his agenda when if should have been the first when he took office after all this is an election year and all probems not addressed will become part of his new campaign promises.

Nothing new with this process but the problem is that the voters vote in politicians solely on their campaign promises and that is why politicians love uninformed, nieve voters....decade after decade.

[askido351]

01:44 PM on 01/31/2012

Sue-in-Jersey, YOU BEAUTY

[hoperequired]

05:04 PM on 01/30/2012

Obama doesn't understand anything. British columnist, Janet Daley, just put out an article about Obama using the same social model that is causing the EU to implode. He's pushing phoney job creation schemes (like public infrastructure projects) and other social projects that will make the US implode the same way. He wants everyone on the dole so he can control us. Very sad.

[sabela]

05:07 PM on 01/30/2012

And again, how is unpaid leave being on the dole?

[traceymarie]

05:07 PM on 01/30/2012

lmao...so rebuilding roads and bridges does not create jobs for years and circulate money in our economy?

[gilbskg]

05:26 PM on 01/30/2012

No kidding.

[Bogym]

05:29 PM on 01/30/2012

No wonder you became a dem..You're to dumb to THINK and comprehend .

[johnkocher]

05:00 PM on 01/30/2012

Actually, the unfunded liabilities of the US are now $61.6 TRILLION. The $1.2T 2012 deficit and the cumulative $16.1T seem almost trivial in comparison. Something has to give folks! We can't afford the perks the pols continue to sign into law.

[sabela]

05:01 PM on 01/30/2012

And UNPAID leave affects the deficit how?

[a vets wife]

08:16 AM on 06/15/2012

This may not relieve the deficit, but how does giving millions of dollars to Pakistan, Iran and all the others? If we cut down on THAT spending and put the monies here at home at to our men and women that give their lives for this country it would help our deficit a great deal. Are you a veteran? Have you served in a war where you didn't know if you were going to see tomorrow? NO- I thought not.

[gnorrfa]

05:42 PM on 01/30/2012

$61 trillion you say. It's so strange that we have a President that congress blocks every step of the way but somehow he's spending us into penury. I tried this with my bank, but my account remains the same, they just say no, but somehow congress says no and the President manages to keep spending. Very strange. I betcha somebody's not being honest and I don't think it's the prez.

[citygirl1832]

04:52 PM on 01/30/2012

Wonder what Mitt will say about this? Probably will depend on the mood of the audience.

[janedorothy4]

04:51 PM on 01/30/2012

This is what he should have done his first two years along with cuts to the useless departments like education , commerce and EPA. but Obama only started caring about the military after under his watch and spending our debt climbed to 16 trillion dollars.Its election time so the snake oil salesman is saying what we want to hear.

[traceymarie]

05:01 PM on 01/30/2012

lmao, he raised the pay and benefits for the military against the wishes of the gop/bag party. He has NOT spent 16 trillion dollars he has not cut education, EPA the states have so your entire rant is nothing more then typical bagger lies and innuendo

[sabela]

05:02 PM on 01/30/2012

The EPA is NOT useless. Ask anyone who grew up in LA in the 60's and 70's.

[POTSman244]

09:57 AM on 01/31/2012

And it STILL stinks doesn't it? Can you still see the air?

[mynamesyow]

04:40 PM on 01/30/2012

Helping to protect the jobs of service member's families...???

Here comes the Fox-bots comparing him to Hitler...

[Canuckphd]

04:44 PM on 01/30/2012

I hear you! It is socialism actually caring about people, isn't it?

[Mediorite]

04:37 PM on 01/30/2012

I like this Obama.

[l78lancer]

04:34 PM on 01/30/2012

This has been a long time coming. someone can identify why the president's proposal is bad, unreasonable or unfair I'd really like to hear it.

[gilbskg]

05:29 PM on 01/30/2012

As long as it's an Obama initiative, they will always see it as "unreasonable or unfair."

[l78lancer]

07:06 PM on 01/30/2012

Yup. I believe what you say, and that's why I believe that it will work against the right more and more. The left and many independents are seeing that kind of response as fear and scare tactics without any substance. As long as the right can't put credible facts behind their argument, the right loses.

[Hal Donahue]

04:32 PM on 01/30/2012

This is good news I hope more and more change is coming...