By Jed Kim

The Family Medical Leave Act was signed into law a quarter of a century ago today. It was an important step in granting American workers time to care for newborns or sick loved ones. Now, though, U.S. support for families lags behind most developed countries, but there is momentum to update the program. 

CLASP’s director of job quality, Pronita Gupta, appeared in this story and highlighted how the current national policy that provides only unpaid, job-protected leave is insufficient for many–particularly low-wage workers–who can’t afford to take leave without pay. 

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