Opinion ID: 165332
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)

Text: 32 The FMLA was enacted, in part, to balance the demands of the workplace with the needs of families ... [and] to entitle employees to take reasonable leave for medical reasons ... in a manner that accommodates the legitimate interests of employers. 29 U.S.C. § 2601(b). The Act entitles eligible employees of covered employers to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave each year because of, among other things, a serious health condition that makes the employee unable to perform the functions of the position of such employee. Id. § 2612(a)(1)(D). 33 As part of the balance that was struck between the interests of employers and the interests of employees, Congress included a small employer exception that excludes from the Act's coverage employers with fewer than 50 employees. Id. § 2611(4)(A)(i). A separate exception was granted for small operations — that is, a potentially large company with a relatively small satellite office in a particular area. Specifically, the statute excludes from coverage any employee whose employer employs less than 50 employees within 75 miles of that employee's worksite (the 50/75 provision). Id. § 2611(2)(B)(ii). According to the House Committee Report, the 50/75 provision recognizes the difficulties an employer may have in reassigning workers to geographically separate facilities. H.R. Rep. No. 102-135(I), at 37 (1991). 34 With these eligibility restrictions, Congress recognized that only about 40 to 50 percent of all employees would be covered by the Act. S. Rep. No. 102-68, at 24 (1991); H.R. Rep. No. 102-135(I), at 37 (1991). 35