October 24, 2008
Know Your Rights
Learn the Rules Regarding the Family and Medical Leave Act
As a federal employee, you have certain rights under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) that you should know about. The law, first approved in 1993, provides federal employees with up to 480 hours—12 weeks—of unpaid leave a year for family and health-related purposes.
Help Your Doctor
When faced with the form the government uses for medical leave under FMLA, many doctors and health professionals do not know how to properly fill it out.
This is particularly true when a federal employee has a chronic health condition such as with back injuries, asthma or depression, and needs to use FMLA intermittently over long periods of time.
To help ease the process, NTEU has crafted a letter for employees to give to their doctors that explains what information is needed on the FMLA form and which questions are critical.
For a copy of the letter, contact NTEU at TSA@nteu.org.
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FMLA provides you coverage when:
- Dealing with the birth or adoption and care of a child;
- Caring for an immediate family member or parent suffering from a serious health condition; and
- Suffering from a serious health condition that leaves you temporarily unable to do your job.
The 2008 National Defense Authorization Act amended FMLA to also provide employees with up to 26 weeks of leave when caring for an immediate family member in the military who is injured or sickened while on active duty.
FMLA is only available to employees who have completed at least 12 months of service with TSA or the federal government.
FMLA allows you to:
- Build a reserve of annual leave;
- Share in family care responsibilities with a spouse;
- Use leave on an intermittent basis so you can balance family live and health care responsibilities with your work schedule; and
- Have greater flexibility when confronted with routine or unexpected medical needs.
“Leave issues are of critical importance to federal employees nationwide,” said NTEU President Colleen M. Kelley. “When employees don’t have, or can’t get the time off they need, it impacts virtually every aspect of their personal and work lives," she said.
FMLA rules can be complicated and the issues with them can get tricky—problems arise not just because of rules and regulations, but because managers often are not well-trained in the intricacies of the law.
NTEU’s long-standing goal is to make good things more accessible and to that end, the union is supporting a congressional effort aimed at providing federal employees with a paycheck for at least four of the 12 weeks of FMLA leave.
President Kelley has repeatedly offered congressional testimony on FMLA issues, emphasizing that paying employees for at least a portion of the leave “would turn the promise of leave into a reality for many employees who otherwise can’t afford to be off without pay.”
NTEU Web Site
Special Military Tribute Honors Veterans
Celebrate Veterans’ Day on Nov. 11 by visiting a special military tribute web site established by NTEU to honor those members and their family who have served their country as current or former members in the U.S. armed forces.
View more than 200 names and assorted profiles on the site; those such as Karen E. Holmes, a U.S. Air Force and Operation Desert Storm veteran who now works for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and has been an NTEU member (Chapter 277, FDIC Memphis) since 2007.
"Most people put in their two cents on workplace issues and I want my two cents to count," Holmes said. "There is no better way to show my support, loyalty, concern, and commitment to my job and my colleagues than to be a part of NTEU."
Spread the word and urge other chapter members to submit information—or update current listings—to NTEU so we can include them or their loved ones in the tribute.
Submissions should include service branch, rank, duty station, and hometown. Photos are encouraged.
Send submissions, including photos, electronically to NTEU-PR@nteu.org,
or via mail to NTEU Public Relations, 1750 H Street,
N.W., Washington, D.C. 20006.
Now Available
TSA Video Highlights the Benefits of NTEU
Want
to know what NTEU is doing for you? Watch this video
spotlighting NTEU's work on behalf of TSA employees,
as well as the union's future plans to improve the
quality of your workplace. Visit NTEU's TSA
web page and hear National President Colleen M.
Kelley and other NTEU TSA leaders discuss the union's
successful battles and explain its value to frontline
security employees.
To learn more call toll-free at 1-866-591-5735 or visit www.DHSunion.org/TSA.
Tell colleagues about NTEU’s DHS Update.
It’s free and keeps NTEU’s newest
members
informed about issues important to them.
If you’ve received this from a
friend or colleague,
sign up for your own copy.
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