Small Businesses Overwhelmingly Support Family Medical Leave Act

Publisher: 
Small Business Majority
Date: 
Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Signed into law on Feb. 5, 1993, the Family Medical Leave Act allows eligible employees of covered employers to take a limited amount of unpaid, job-protected leave for certain family and medical reasons, and have their benefits maintained. Twenty years later, scientific opinion polling has found small businesses strongly support the decades-old law.

Small Business Majority’s opinion polling of 507 small business owners from across the country reveals widespread support for the Family Medical Leave Act. Four out of five respondents favor the law, including close to half (46%) who strongly favor it. Just one in five oppose the law overall, and a mere 6% strongly oppose it. It’s important to note the sample was majority Republican, with 51% of respondents identifying as Republican, 34% identifying as Democrats and 13% identifying as independent.

Main Findings

Four out of five entrepreneurs support the Family Medical Leave Act, including almost half who strongly favor it: An 80% majority of small business owners favor the Family Medical Leave Act of 1993, which allows eligible employees of covered employers to take a limited amount of unpaid, job-protected leave for certain family and medical reasons.

By a 4:1 ratio, entrepreneurs favor the Family Medical Leave Act

As you may know, the 20-year anniversary of the Family and Medical Leave Act is coming up. Under the Act, eligible employees of covered employers can take a limited amount of unpaid, job-protected leave for specified family and medical reasons like a serious personal illness, the birth or adoption of a child, to care for a seriously ill family member, or for qualifying reasons arising out of a family member being an active member of the military. Would you say you generally FAVOR or OPPOSE the Family and Medical Leave Act?

Press Release

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