Welcome to my Massachusetts Family and Medical Leave (MFML) blog. The MFML law, enacted in 2018 (but not fully effective until 2021) is likely to have a major impact on both employers and employees in Massachusetts, particularly at companies with fewer than 50 employees.
Since 1993, employers with 50 or more employees have been covered by the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), which provides for 12 weeks of unpaid leave per year for absences due to an employee’s serious health condition, care for a family member with a serious health condition, pregnancy or care of a newborn child, or adoption or foster care of a child.
But there are major differences between MFML and the FMLA. For one thing, unlike the FMLA, MFML covers virtually every private employer in Massachusetts. It applies to all employers required to contribute to the state’s unemployment insurance program, i.e. those with one or more employees.
Significantly, MFML is paid leave, unlike the unpaid leave under the FMLA. Employees will be entitled to payment of up to $850 per week (80 percent of the individual’s actual weekly wage up to 50 percent of the state average weekly wage, currently $1338, plus 50 percent of the individual’s weekly wage above that amount, up to the $850 cap). As such, it is more likely to be utilized by employees.
This blog will include summaries and analysis of the MFML, as well as links to resources such as regulations issued by the new Massachusetts Department of Family and Medical Leave (DFML).