Federal Workers Get Break Clinton Expands Family Leave, Pushes Congress To Do Same

President Clinton on Saturday granted the United States’ 1.9 million federal employees up to 24 hours of unpaid leave each year for family matters and emergencies, and he urged Congress to extend the same benefit to all American workers by expanding the popular Family and Medical Leave Act.

Clinton’s action will allow the federal workers leave time for such duties as attending parent-teacher conferences or taking a child or an elderly relative to a doctor’s appointment.

Addressing Republican congressional opponents of expanding the plan, Clinton said in his weekly radio address: “Don’t ask people to choose ever between being good workers and good parents. We can help them to do both.”

He urged Congress to act soon, saying “families occasionally need these small pieces of time to take care of their own.”

Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., and other GOP leaders have opposed expansion of the 1993 act on grounds the federal government should not intrude into decisions involving businesses and their workers.

The law, the first one signed by Clinton as president, has proved highly popular. More than 12 million employees have taken advantage of its provisions allowing up to 12 weeks off without pay to care for a newborn or adopted child, to attend to their own health needs or to care for a seriously ill family member.

Clinton’s action in granting new unpaid leave provisions to federal workers was accomplished in a memo sent to all federal department and agency heads. Although Clinton’s action did not have the force of law, officials said they expected all agencies to comply.