A new paid family-leave program in California that allows workers to collect partial wages for six weeks could be a sign of growing support for expanded paid leave in the US. The Family and Medical Leave Act in the US provides 12 weeks of unpaid leave for 50 to 60 percent of American workers, but unlike many European nations, the U.S. does not have nationally mandated paid leave. Several states have passed laws requiring private-sector employers to let workers use their own sick leave to care for a family member who's ill.
See "Is paid leave near for all US workers?", Marilyn Gardner, The Christian Science Monitor, July 8, 2004