How Employers Can Abuse FMLA

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Our colleague, Tom Domer in Milwaukee, recently criticized the media for their misleading coverage of “FMLA abuse” among public employees in Milwaukee. This criticism parallels our criticism about misleading coverage of an unemployment decision in Iowa. Domer pointed out correctly that FMLA leave is unpaid. The fact that FMLA leave is unpaid leave makes it possible for employers to abuse FMLA.

I represented a client with a personal health condition that temporarily prevented that person from doing heavy lifting. My client told human resources about this health condition, and that person was forced to take unpaid FMLA leave. Of course, under the Americans with Disabilities Act, there is an obligation to engage in an interactive process to determine what reasonable accommodations could be made so the disabled employee can perform the essential functions of the job. In the case of my client, there was evidence that that person’s employer did not engage in that process. Though my client’s case ultimately resolved, I doubt that my client is the only person who has had a similar experience with forced FMLA.

I suspect some employers use unpaid FMLA leave as a way to reduce payroll expenses even if an employee could perform the essential functions of their job with a few simple accommodations. So the next time you hear about employees abusing FMLA, remember that employers can abuse unpaid leave as well.

The offices of Rehm, Bennett, Moore & Rehm, which also sponsors the Trucker Lawyers website, are located in Lincoln and Omaha, Nebraska. Five attorneys represent plaintiffs in workers’ compensation, personal injury, employment and Social Security disability claims. The firm’s lawyers have combined experience of more than 95 years of practice representing injured workers and truck drivers in Nebraska, Iowa and other states with Nebraska and Iowa jurisdiction. The lawyers regularly represent hurt truck drivers and often sue Crete Carrier Corporation, K&B Trucking, Werner Enterprises, UPS, and FedEx. Lawyers in the firm hold licenses in Nebraska and Iowa and are active in groups such as the College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers, Workers' Injury Law & Advocacy Group (WILG), American Association for Justice (AAJ), the Nebraska Association of Trial Attorneys (NATA), and the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA). We have the knowledge, experience and toughness to win rightful compensation for people who have been injured or mistreated.

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