Could it be that workers whose employers offer leave benefits actually end up getting sick less often because they are happier? Senator Al Franken (D-MN), tongue firmly in cheek, proposed this “radical” idea at a hearing on paid leave held by the Senate Health Economic Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee’s Subcommittee on Children and Families.

A 20th anniversary is an important milestone. But turning 21? Although exciting for young adults, it’s a slightly less momentous number for a law. So, with the celebrations of the 20th anniversary of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) a year behind us, 21 is a good time to roll up our sleeves and get to work, improving upon the law. On this anniversary, policymakers, advocates, and businesses are calling for Congress to do more for working families. The FMLA provides some workers with up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave to care for a new baby, tend to a sick family member, or...

Shaniqua , a 20-year-old mother, works for McDonald’s in New York City, where she can rarely get 40 hours a week. She struggles to afford food, diapers, and other basics. Nick , a McDonald’s worker in Indianapolis, survives on $800 per month while caring for his chronically ill mother and disabled brother. Medical bills from a recent sinus infection cost him nearly a month’s wages. Dearius , an assistant manager at a Memphis Church’s Chicken, says fast food workers are tired of struggling to provide for their kids. And Shonda , a 38-year-old mother of three who works at a KFC in Oakland, says...