Workers in legal, same-sex marriages, regardless of where they live, will now have the same rights as those in opposite-sex marriages to federal job-protected leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act to care for a spouse with a serious health condition, the U.S. Labor Department reported this week.  A rule change this week came after a related U.S. Supreme Court decision. “The basic promise of the FMLA is that no one should have to choose between the job and income they need, and caring for a loved one,” said U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez. “All eligible employees in legal same-sex marriages, regardless of where they live, can now deal with a serious medical and family situation like all families – without the threat of job loss.” Enacted in 1993, the FMLA entitles eligible employees of covered employers to take unpaid, job-protected leave for specified family and medical reasons.