Employee Leave

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There are various types of leave for workers, including family leave, sick leave, vacation leave, and vacation leave. Other less common types of leave are donor leave, to serve as a blood, organ or tissue donor, and disaster leave, to serve as a volunteer for an organization that assists with emergencies or disasters. Paid leave is rarely required by law and is more commonly provided by employers as a benefit for their workers. Leave for workers is covered under a variety of state and federal law, and may vary for private and public employees. 

Family Medical Leave

The Federal Family Medical Leave Act (FLMA) requires employers to provide up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for workers to attend to their own serious illness, or for a serious illness of an immediate family member, or for the birth or adoption of a child. A small number of states have adopted their own versions of state family medical leave laws, either increasing the length of time off available to workers or expanding the definition of family members, to include extended family or members of a household. All family leave laws provide for unpaid leave, with the exception of California and New Jersey, which provide for paid family leave.  The state of Washington passed a paid family leave law in 2009 but has repeatedly delayed implementation of the law due to economic factors.

Sick Leave

While many public and private employers provide paid sick leave for their employees, it is generally as an employment benefit. only one state, Connecticut, requires private employers to provide paid sick leave, and only for a limited class of employers. There are no federal requirements for paid sick leave for either public or private employers.

Vacation Leave

No state or federal laws require employers to provide paid vacation leave or personal time off.  Such leave is often provided as an employee benefit by both public and private employers, either through negotiated contracts or personnel policies, but employers are not required by law to do so. 

Here are some of the highlighted issues on the website:

• State Family Medical Leave Laws
• Federal Family Medical Leave Act
• 2011 Family Leave Legislation
• 2011 Sick Leave Legislation
• 2011 Leave Legislation (all types of leave)
• Maternity Leave Laws