Paid Sick Days

Nothing to Sneeze At: State Activity Continues as Federal Support Grows

Published on April 25, 2012 in Staff. 0 Comments

In the past few weeks, we’ve seen paid sick days efforts progress and make headlines in cities and states throughout the country –and support for the federal Healthy Families Act continues to grow in Congress.

In Hawaii, a bill that would guarantee some workers in the state the right to earn paid sick days passed the Senate. The bill’s progress is an exciting starting point for stronger legislation and a more vibrant campaign in the future. It’s encouraging to see groundwork being laid in a state where more than 40 percent of the private sector workforce doesn’t have paid sick days.

The paid sick days campaign in New York City continues to heat up. Earlier this month, two legislators who work on small business issues, Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez and Councilwoman Diana Reyna, endorsed the paid sick days bill pending before the City Council. Velazquez is the ranking member of the U.S. House of Representatives’ Small Business Committee and Reyna heads the New York City Council’s Committee on Small Business. Their support reflects the campaign’s growing momentum and the launch of its “Conscious Consumer, Conscious Business” initiative.

In Minnesota, where more than 845,000 private sector workers don’t have paid sick days, a group of former Jimmy John’s sandwich shop workers have secured a major victory in a legal battle sparked by the franchise’s failure to provide paid sick days. As the workers’ attorney explained, “The judge ruled these employees are well within their rights to petition their employer for paid sick days” and that “workers do have the right to speak out about their working conditions and health and safety risks.” The worker-activists who brought suit provide an inspiring example for all who believe that workers should not be forced to go to work sick.

And on the national level, support for the Healthy Families Act has increased to 109 co-sponsors. Eight members of the U.S. House of Representatives have become co-sponsors since the start of year – four of them in just the last two months. They are: Representatives Hansen Clarke (D-Mich.), Michael Doyle (D-Pa.), Janice Hahn (D-Calif.), Steven Rothman (D-N.J.), Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.), Silvestre Reyes (D-Texas), Nydia Velazquez (D-N.Y.) and Andre Carson (D-Ind.). We thank these members for recognizing that workers and their families need the common sense protections that the Healthy Families Act would provide.

State and local paid sick days activity continues, feeding national momentum and support. Stay tuned for more!

Public Health, Prevention and Paid Sick Days

Published on April 6, 2012 in Staff. 0 Comments

It’s National Public Health Week – a time when the nation’s public health community unites around one aspect of public health to raise awareness and improve the health of the nation. This year, the focus is prevention. And there’s no doubt that paid sick days can play a key role in preventing the spread of illness and keeping our communities healthy.

It makes logical sense: If workers don’t have access to paid sick days when illness strikes, they end up going to work sick or sending sick children to school or day care. Many are forced to do so in order to protect their jobs and their families’ economic security. In fact, adults without paid sick days are 1.5 times more likely than adults with paid sick days to report going to work sick with a contagious illness. Workers without paid sick days are also more likely to forgo preventive care for themselves and their families.

To make matters worse, workers who have significant interaction with the public – such as those working in food service, child care and personal care – are among the least likely to have access to paid sick days. As a result, illness is often unnecessarily spread to other workers, customers and throughout communities.

During the H1N1 outbreak an estimated seven million people in the United States caught the flu from their co-workers. And people without paid sick days were at greater risk of being exposed to the virus. In 2008, an Ohio restaurant worker had no choice but to go to work sick and more than 500 people became violently ill. Just last year, an Olive Garden worker in North Carolina went to work with hepatitis; the Olive Garden, which is part of the mega-profitable Darden Restaurant Group, does not offer paid sick days to its employees. Sadly, these are not isolated cases – and they were preventable.

Workers with paid sick days are able to care for themselves and sick family members, ultimately reducing contagion and preventing illness. This is good for the health of working families, businesses and our communities – and that’s why prominent public health organizations have joined our national paid sick days coalition.

Paid sick days standards guarantee workers’ access to the earned paid sick days they need while significantly benefiting and protecting the public health. As this National Public Health Week draws to a close, let’s remind our state and federal lawmakers of that important point.

For more on the impact a lack of paid sick days has on public health, check out this fact sheet.

Paid Sick Days Key in Rebuilding America

Published on March 29, 2012 in Staff. 0 Comments

Today, as paid sick days activity continues throughout the country, Senator Tom Harkin (D – Iowa) introduced an exciting new piece of federal legislation that could establish a national paid sick days standard and highlights the critical connection between workers’ access to paid sick days and working families’ economic security.

The bill, the Rebuild America Act, is aimed at restoring economic growth and rebuilding the middle class. To that end, it includes the exact language of the Healthy Families Act – a bill that would guarantee workers the right to earn paid sick days. In addition, the legislation would increase the minimum wage, establish overtime pay protections, increase investments in education and child care and more.

As National Partnership for Women & Families President Debra L. Ness said: “[The Rebuild America Act] is an ambitious, comprehensive bill that addresses the real issues facing America’s families. It would surely go a long way in moving the country forward.”

Paid sick days are critical to the economic security of families, yet more than 44 million workers don’t have them. Advocates, legislators and workers in nearly 20 states and cities have taken the lead in pushing for policies that would help more workers gain this basic right. Members of Congress should follow suit by prioritizing bills like the Rebuild America Act and establishing a long overdue national paid sick days standard.

Campaigns Gear Up for Success!

Published on March 24, 2012 in Staff. 0 Comments

As families across the country enjoy unusually warm weather and prepare for the summer, paid sick days campaigns are heating up too.

In Massachusetts, advocates are rallying on Tuesday to re-launch the state’s paid sick days campaign. The rally follows a victory last week when the bill passed out of the Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development, where it was amended to address small business owners’ concerns. Committee Chair Senator Daniel Wolf, a business owner himself, has championed the bill, saying “I will tell you as a business person, the financial impact of [paid sick days] is minimal when compared to the benefits. It has strengthened [my] company. It’s great for morale.’’ The bill now goes to the Joint Committee on Healthcare Financing. For more information or to get involved, check out the Massachusetts Paid Leave Coalition.

The paid sick days effort in New York City is also getting significant business support. Last week, a group of local small business owners joined with city council members, local residents and organizations in the New York City Paid Sick Leave Coalition to launch “Conscious Consumer, Conscious Business,” an initiative to support and highlight local businesses that value working families and the public’s health by providing paid sick days. The initiative kicked off on Tuesday with a rally at a music hall in Queens. This is an exciting new development, one that will reinforce the benefits of paid sick days to businesses in New York and throughout the country. Stay tuned!

And in Philadelphia, the campaign for a citywide paid sick days ordinance is gathering support inside and outside the City Council. A new bill will be introduced soon by Council Member William Greenlee and the campaign is expected to officially re-launch. Check out the Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces to find out more.

We’ll keep you posted as these campaigns progress!

New Study Reveals Dire Conditions for Restaurant Workers

Published on February 17, 2012 in Staff. 0 Comments

A powerful new report released this week paints a dire picture for workers in the restaurant industry. According to the report, tipped workers, who are primarily women, are paid a mere $2.13 per hour, have little to no control over their schedules, suffer sexual harassment regularly, and have few opportunities for advancement. The overwhelmingly majority are not able to earn any paid sick days.

The report, Tipped Over the Edge: Gender Inequity in the Restaurant Industry, was produced by the Restaurant Opportunities Center United (ROC) and 12 other women’s and worker organizations. It reveals harmful trends for workers in this fast-growing industry and recommends common sense solutions – including paid sick days.

As National Partnership President Debra L. Ness explains in a piece on the Huffington Post:

[D]espite the important role restaurant workers play in our lives and our economy, the restaurant industry provides some of the lowest-wage jobs in the nation – leaving many workers and their families living in poverty.

…

If having to live paycheck to paycheck isn’t hard enough, 90 percent of the restaurant workers surveyed also don’t have a single paid sick day to recover from common illnesses like the flu – meaning that when illness strikes, they have to choose between already limited and much-needed income and their health. As a result, more than two-thirds report they have gone to work sick. And as the report documents, many workers say that they or a coworker have been fired simply for getting sick. This not only threatens the fragile economic security of these workers and their families, but also the public’s health.

…

We – ROC and the other organizations that produced this report – propose very reasonable steps to create a more just restaurant industry for workers and their families. The recommendations include increasing the sub-minimum wage to help close the gender gap and make wages more fair, establishing a national policy standard to allow restaurant workers to earn paid sick days, enacting legislation that would promote greater control over scheduling so workers can manage work and family responsibilities, and providing ongoing training to help prevent sexual harassment.

Given the seriousness of the inequality and hardships among workers in the industry, restaurant owners and legislators should waste no time in advancing all of these recommendations. Existing legislation like the Healthy Families Act, the Paycheck Fairness Act and efforts to raise minimum and sub-minimum wages should be top priorities.

Legislation America Needs

Published on February 3, 2012 in Vicki Shabo. 0 Comments

On Wednesday morning, at an event sponsored by the Center for American Progress, Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) described for the first time sweeping new legislation that he plans to introduce this spring: the Rebuild America Act. This welcome and badly needed bill aims to help restore economic growth and rebuild the middle class by addressing inequality and creating good jobs.

It is a powerful legislative package that working Americans need. Senator Harkin has long been a champion for workers and for all who struggle to find good jobs, to meet the dual demands of work and family, to overcome discrimination, and to pay for food, housing, health care, child or elder care and other necessities. That has long been evident in his work as a member – and now Chair – of the powerful Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

Senator Harkin is a key sponsor of the Healthy Families Act, which would give most workers the right to earn up to seven job-protected paid sick days a year to use if they get sick or face domestic violence, or if a family member needs care. So it is no surprise that, as he described his upcoming legislative package, he pointed to paid sick days as a key measure that can strengthen families and our workforce. “Today’s workers are caring for children and aging parents. They need jobs that support them and allow families to care for each other,” Senator Harkin said. He expressed concern for those in the “sandwich generation” who care for children and older relatives at the same time; too often, he noted, they fall out of the middle class and into hardship and poverty.

Senator Harkin said that his Rebuild America Act will include the Healthy Families Act, which now has support from more than 100 members of Congress and more than 200 advocacy groups nationwide. It will also include measures to raise the minimum wage, protect workers’ right to stand together, and fund investments in education, child care and infrastructure.

Panelists Heather Boushey of the Center for American Progress, John Schmitt of the Center for Economic and Policy Research and Isabel Sawhill of the Brookings Institution echoed Senator Harkin’s themes. “A strong middle class is not in opposition to a strong economy,” Boushey said. “We need to invest in families with things like child care and paid sick days…. Most other countries offer a rich basket of benefits [to their employees], including paid sick days and paid family leave. Parents are able to care for their children… it’s not only good for people, but also good for the economy.”

Senator Harkin closed his remarks by saying, “For three decades, our economy has been held back by failed trickle-down economics. It’s time for percolate-up economics. The middle class is the backbone of this country. It’s time for Washington to have the backbone to defend it.”

The National Partnership applauds Senator Harkin for including paid sick days as a crucial protection for working families. We look forward to the day when he introduces the Rebuild America Act, and pledge to work hard to help advance it. I hope you will join us.

Paid Sick Days Activity – and Energy – Continues in 2012!

Published on January 26, 2012 in Staff. 0 Comments

2011 was a historic year in the effort to guarantee workers the right to earn paid sick days. Connecticut became the first state in the nation to pass a paid sick days law, which went into effect on January 1 of this year. Seattle also joined San Francisco and the District of Columbia in granting workers this basic right. And Philadelphia took a step forward by ensuring some workers in the city can earn the paid sick days they need. As we begin 2012, several states and cities are already building on the victories of 2011 – and many more will soon follow!

In Washington state, where legislators, advocates and workers are energized by the recent victory in Seattle, the Washington Family Leave Coalition is working with legislators to build support for a statewide paid sick days bill. Early this month, state lawmakers introduced bills in both houses that would establish a minimum standard for paid sick and safe leave. And just this week, two committee hearings were held on the bills. We’ve also already seen bills introduced in Arizona, Hawaii and Iowa.

In New York City, where support for a paid sick days bill is strong in the City Council, the New York State Paid Family Leave Coalition – a diverse group of labor organizations, business owners and community groups – relaunched its campaign for a citywide paid sick days standard last week with a rally with more than 100 people. Check out this great video from the event:

And in Philadelphia earlier this month, the Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces kicked off its efforts to build on last year’s victory. The goal: a citywide paid sick days law that covers all workers who need job-protected paid sick days.

2012 is off to an exciting start on paid sick days. As always, we will be watching closely as more cities and states press for this common-sense policy. We look forward to the victories that lie ahead!

Public Health Advocates Get Behind Paid Sick Days

Published on December 23, 2011 in Staff. 0 Comments

This year, we have seen incredible momentum in the fight for paid sick days laws. As we’ve celebrated great victories from Seattle to Connecticut, we’ve also added to the growing list of organizations committed to seeing paid sick days standards become a reality throughout the country. Public health advocates form an essential core of this coalition. After all, they know that failing to let workers earn paid sick days can harm the health of individuals, families and communities, especially when some of the jobs least likely to offer paid sick days are the most likely to require frequent contact with the public.

So thank you to organizations such as the American Public Health Association, Trust for America’s Health and the National Association of School Nurses for their longstanding support. And thank you to the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) for, just this month, making paid sick days policies a priority. As NACCHO explained:

The result of failure to provide paid sick leave is that the entire public is at increased risk, while low-wage and part-time workers, given their potential risk of loss of income or employment, have an unequal burden to bear when asked to protect the public’s health.

We couldn’t agree more. That’s why we are working to ensure more workers have this basic right. The public health community has been a great ally, and we look forward to working toward future paid sick days victories together.

Honoring the Nation’s Family Caregivers with the Policies They Need

Published on November 23, 2011 in Vicki Shabo. 0 Comments

When President Obama proclaimed November National Family Caregivers Month this year, he described family caregiving as “heroic work… often done while caregivers balance other commitments to their families, jobs, and communities.” He couldn’t be more right, especially in this economy and as an increasing number of older Americans need care. That’s why policies like paid sick days and paid family leave, that help family caregivers manage their responsibilities while they provide essential care to their loved ones, are critical.

Nearly 30 percent of the adult population – 66 million Americans – served as unpaid family caregivers in the past year, and most of them held jobs in addition to caring for a loved one. Working family caregivers inevitably need short periods of time off of work to administer medication, attend doctors’ appointments or deal with medical emergencies. Yet more than 44 million workers, including many family caregivers, don’t have basic paid sick days they can use to meet family caregiving needs or recover from their own illnesses. And millions don’t have access to longer periods of leave they can use when loved ones face serious illnesses.

Challenges for family caregivers and our nation are growing steadily. As the population ages and people live longer, the need for family caregivers is increasing. It’s estimated that, by 2050, there will be 88.5 million older adults. And we all know that people are in greater need of routine medical care and treatment as they age. Right now, 91 percent of adults over age 65 are living with at least one chronic condition that requires routine care. Seventy-three percent have at least two. At this rate, without policies that support family caregivers, the country won’t be able to keep up with the amount of care the population needs.

Paid sick days allow family caregivers to earn paid time away from work to help their elderly loved ones get the care they need. Paid family leave insurance provides longer periods of time off when loved ones have serious health conditions and need care. These policies also play a critical role in protecting the health of family caregivers themselves. Family caregiving is both physically and emotionally demanding, and employed family caregivers often find it difficult to deal with their own ailments and get routine care because their time and finances are stretched thin. For those without paid sick days, getting care for themselves can be nearly impossible.

There is a clear imperative to make sure caregivers can meet their responsibilities at work and at home in order to keep older adults and their families safe, healthy and happy. No one who takes on the selfless task of caring for a loved one should be forced to choose between that loved one and the economic security of their family. So as we approach the end of National Family Caregivers Month and the start of the holiday season, let’s all remind legislators at all levels and all across the country that working families and caregivers truly need: modest, supportive policies that help caregivers manage their work obligations while caring for their loved ones.

Vicki Shabo is the director of work and family programs at the National Partnership for Women & Families.

New Study: Lack of Paid Sick Days Contributed to Millions of H1N1 Cases

Published on November 22, 2011 in Staff. 0 Comments

A new study published in the American Journal of Public Health shows that various racial and ethnic groups were at greater risk of exposure to H1N1 during the pandemic because they didn’t have access to paid sick days. In particular, the Latino population was at greater risk of illness because many lacked this basic right.

As the Center for American Progress’s Sarah Jane Glynn explains on Think Progress:

Potential exposure to H1N1 during the 2009 pandemic was significantly related to race and ethnicity, with Hispanics having the greatest risk of infection. Even after controlling for income and education, Hispanics had the highest probability of contracting an influenza-like illness, due to the absence of paid sick leave and structural factors such as the number of children living in the household.

The lack of paid sick leave among Hispanic workers contributed to an estimated 1.2 million cases of influenza-like illness among Hispanics, and 5 million additional cases in the general population.

Nearly 60 percent of Latino workers — about 12 million people — do not have access to paid sick days through their employers. Latino adults are more likely to be in the workforce than any other racial or ethnic group, and they are also more likely to work in service industry jobs such as personal care or food service — jobs where they are in direct contact with the public and where paid sick leave is less commonly offered.

Thus, the person preparing your food at a restaurant is disproportionately likely to be Latino, and is also disproportionately unlikely to have paid leave that would allow him to stay home if he caught the flu. Other research has shown that a lack of paid sick days resulted in employees of all races and ethnicities who were infected with H1N1 going to work while sick, thus infecting an estimated additional 7 million individuals — as many as 1,500 of whom died as a result.”

For more on the study, visit the American Journal of Public Health.

For more on the impact a lack of paid sick days has on Latino families, check out this fact sheet.