The Problem: The U.S. Department of Labor is considering changing the rules for the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), including revising the definition of “serious medical condition,” potentially from a standard of 3 days of incapacity and medical treatment to 10 days, and eliminating the ability to take intermittent leave for less than half a day.

The US Chamber of Commerce and National Association of Manufacturers have named gutting these provisions of FMLA their #1 priority.

If the federal rules change, Washington workers will lose rights and protections they now have. Workers may be forced to go to work with life-threatening conditions such as the flu, endangering public health, and could lose the ability to manage a child’s asthma or take a spouse to chemotherapy.