A new study by the Labor Department finds that 40% of the workforce is not covered by the Family Medical Leave Act, leaving them open to punitive measures for missing work. Proponents of the law say that it has helped workers take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave annually without losing their jobs. However, for workers who work at companies with fewer than 50 employees, those who have worked at a company for less than a year or have taken medical leave in the previous two years, the law does not apply. While some companies that are not required to follow the law do, many do not. Others penalize workers even when they are not supposed to. Studies show that the United States is one of three out of 177 countries that do not mandate paid prenatal medical leave.
See "Landmark family leave law doesn't help millions of workers", Brigid Schulte, The Washington Post, February 10, 2013