Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, spoke on the floor of the Senate to mark the twentieth anniversary of the enactment of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). He shared a 9to5 member’s story to extoll the benefits of FMLA.
Senator Harkin said: “Tonya Pinkston from Atlanta, Georgia, was diagnosed with lupus in 2009. But she was allowed only three sick days a year, and as the sole earner in her household with her parents and daughter, she absolutely had to keep her job. Her boss suggested the FMLA. Later, when her lupus flared, she was able to take leave for four weeks to allow her a week in the hospital and time to recuperate at home. Without the FMLA, Tonya would have been fired for missing so much time, and she probably would have had to go on unemployment insurance. Tonya thanks God for the FMLA, and feels fortunate that President Bill Clinton signed it so that it was there when she needed it.”
Click here to see the video of Senator Harkin’s speech on the floor of the Senate.
