THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Friday, September 13, 1996            TAG: 9609130006
SECTION: FRONT                   PAGE: A20  EDITION: FINAL 
TYPE: Editorial 
                                            LENGTH:   45 lines

TAKING AIM AT FAMILY LEAVE BOB DOLE'S MISCALCULATION

Was it the new or old set of campaign consultants who helped Bob Dole devise his family-leave policy?

Either way, he should enlist some better advice.

The candidate and his handlers seem to be misreading the public's affection for the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993. ``My view is, why should the federal government be getting into family leave?'' Dole asked recently. ``I believe in compassionate leave, if there is a birth or a death or there is something that happens in the family, obviously. But I again wonder about the long arm of the federal government.''

No question. The long arm is worth watching - and often worth dodging. But from where we sit, the law that allows workers to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for personal or family illnesses or the arrival of a new child is hugely popular.

Mr. Dole, who was a fine senator, keeps miscalculating on the campaign trail. Is it not women who are most prone to vote for his opponent? And, at least traditionally, is it not women who are most concerned about straddling the gap between work and home? It's hard to see how blasting the act does anything to expand Dole's base of support.

Although some employers have complained about the act, the business sector doesn't seem overly concerned. A survey by the University of Michigan, conducted for the Family Leave Commission, found that only 2 percent of workers took leave under the act during the previous year. That may inconvenience corporate America but has hardly proved ruinous. In fact, one recent bipartisan congressional study showed 90 percent approval from business.

When the law was debated, critics complained that it would strike hard at small businesses. At least in Virginia, that doesn't seem to have happened, in part because employers with fewer than 50 workers are exempt. Indeed, small businesses are growing at a faster clip than other segments of the economy.

``By the fact that small firms are growing rapidly, it can't be having but so much impact,'' concluded Bill Mezger, the senior economist for the Virginia Employment Commission.

So if businesses don't care and workers do - especially women - candidate Dole would be wise to drop the discussion. Aiming at your foot is no way to win an election. by CNB