Your Right to Family and Medical Leave

IB ImageAre you having a baby or is your spouse?

Do you have a serious medical condition that requires treatment?

Do you have to take care of a family member who has a serious medical condition?

If you answered “yes” to any one of these questions, you may be able to take unpaid leave from your job under a federal law called the Family and Medical Leave Act.

The law provides unpaid leave for up to 12 weeks each year to:

  • take care of a newborn child
  • to treat a serious medical condition,
  • to take care of family member with a serious medical condition

Most Local 805 contracts have medical leave that allows more time off than Federal law. Check your contract or call Local 805 to find out how much leave you can take.

A serious medical condition is one that lasts for three or more consecutive days and requires ongoing treatment—not a cold.

If you have a chronic health condition, like a back or knee injury, you can also qualify for “intermittent leave” under the FMLA.  This allows you to take unpaid time off when you need it to treat your condition.

Do you qualify? There are some requirements:

  • The company you work for has to employ at least 50 people. Not all Local 805 employers are that big.
  • You have to have worked there for at least 12 months.
  • You have to have worked at least 1,250 hours in the last twelve months.

If you’re taking FMLA leave, be sure to follow all of your employer’s guidelines for taking leave.

Taking FMLA leave isn’t usually hard. But it’s a federal law and sometimes issues can get complicated. If you have a question, contact Local 805 right away at 718-609-6401.