12.16.09 ~ New York City Rallies Behind Paid Sick Days
Since its launch just this summer, New York City’s campaign for paid sick days has quickly become one of the most-watched in the country. And for good reason: local advocates, workers, and political leaders at the helm of the campaign have been generating a lot of buzz lately.
For starters, at a recent rally at City Hall, supporters came out in droves to call for swift action on paid sick days. Workers and coalition members turned out with signs and banners to hear remarks from campaign leaders like A Better Balance, and to get a glimpse of Gloria Steinem, who lent her voice to speak out in favor of the legislation:
"The Paid Sick Time Act is gender free, but the need for it is not. Women are still more likely to be responsible for the health of children and family members, and to be among the million workers in small businesses or the half of all New York City public school parents who have no paid sick leave at all. Our great five boroughs are way behind every modern democracy — and such cities as San Francisco and Milwaukee — in having no paid sick leave. Women are asking Mayor Bloomberg and Speaker Christine Quinn to bring us into this century at last."
Supporters also showed their strength by coming out to City Hall for a hearing held by the New York City Council’s Civil Service and Labor Committee to examine the issue. The hearing lasted several hours and dozens of supporters testified — including Donna Levitt of San Francisco’s Office of Labor Standards Enforcement, Dr. Victor Sidel of the Public Health Association of New York City, Freddy Castiblanco of Small Business United for Health Care, and Guillermo Barrera, a worker who was fired when he got sick.
Currently, 39 out of 51 councilmembers have officially signed on in support the bill. The New York Paid Sick Days Coalition is now urging the City Council to move the legislation as soon as possible.
Learn more:
www.abetterbalance.org or www.timetocareny.org
Obama Administration Endorses Paid Sick Days
With the H1N1 virus becoming widespread throughout most of the United States, securing paid sick days for all workers has become more critical than ever before.
Consequently, the Obama Administration has responded to this growing need for working families and has endorsed the Healthy Families Act. Seth Harris, Deputy Secretary for the Department of Labor, announced the Administration’s support during a hearing on H1N1 and paid sick days at the Senate HELP Committee’s Subcommittee on Children and Families.
He explains during his testimony that legislation like the Healthy Families Act would “advance workplace flexibility and protect the income and security of workers.”
Read Labor Secretary Hilda Solis’ blog post about the Administration’s support »
11.10.09 ~ Sen. Dodd Holds a Hearing on the Healthy Families Act
By Kesia Brown, National Partnership
On Nov. 10, the Senate HELP Committee’s Subcommittee on Children and Families, chaired by Sen. Chris Dodd, hosted a hearing on H1N1 and paid sick days entitled “The Cost of Being Sick.” In the course of the panelists’ testimonies, the hearing brought attention to the growing need for working families to have access to paid sick days with the emerging threat of an H1N1 pandemic.
Debra Ness, President of the National Partnership for Women & Families, stressed the growing urgency of passing paid sick days legislation as she explained how public health is at risk when employers refuse to “provide a minimum standard of paid sick days.” Only a small number of food and public accommodation workers and childcare providers have paid sick days. Since H1N1 is currently “widespread” in 48 states and more than 100 children have already died of complications from H1N1, it is more important than ever to provide paid sick days and make it possible for working families to recover from their illness and stop the spread of H1N1.
The panelists also included government officials such as Rep. Rosa Delauro, who has been a leading champion in Congress for issues concerning working families, and Seth Harris, Deputy Secretary for the Department of Labor, who announced the Obama Administrations support for the Healthy Families Act. Mr. Harris commented in his testimony that the Center for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that everyone with an influenza-like illness should stay home in order to prevent further spread of the disease. The duration of time that most will have to stay home will be 3 to 5 days from the time that symptoms occur to when the fever subsides. He emphasized that providing sick days to employees will only have minimal costs to employers and that this should encourage employers to improve their work supports for their workers — especially for low wage workers and single parents who are especially vulnerable to making the hard choice “between keeping their jobs and taking care of their health and the health of their children.” Further, Mr. Harris expressed the Administration’s support of health care reform as another initiative that will help both working families and businesses through public health emergencies like H1N1.
Testimony was also heard from a working mother who has first hand experience with the devastating costs of being ill without paid sick days. Desiree Rosado, a working mother and wife from Groton, Connecticut, was recently impacted by H1N1 when all three of her children fell severely ill with H1N1 and she had no choice but to stay home and take care of her children even though her employer did not offer paid sick days. Although her husband works as a security guard, the absence of her paycheck has put a tremendous strain on their economic security and they are now living on the edge — from paycheck to paycheck. Through her moving testimony, she expressed her support of the Healthy Families Act and eloquently personalized paid sick days as an issue that must be addressed immediately by Congress.
10.26.09 ~ I Don’t Want To Alarm Anyone — But I Think It Might Be Time To Get Alarmed!
By Steffany Stern, National Partnership
Over the weekend, we learned some startling news: the H1N1 outbreak is now so widespread that the president has declared a national emergency. I don’t want to alarm anyone — but I think it might be time to get alarmed!
According to the CDC, 46 states are now experiencing widespread flu activity. Overwhelmed hospitals will now officially be allowed to set up “disaster operation plans” and operate satellite facilities for H1N1 patients.
The New York Times reports that some hospitals in Texas and Tennessee have set up tents in their parking lots to screen patients. There is a shortage of the H1N1 vaccine. Over 20,000 have been hospitalized, and more than 2,400 have died. And to top it all off, the highest rate of infection is among children.
I don’t know about you, but I’m hoping that a national emergency means it’s time for a strong national response. In fact, I think it’s high time to call for the simple yet fundamental response we need to help stop the epidemic: a national standard of job-protected paid sick days.
We need paid sick days, so that incredibly-contagious workers don’t have to go to work sick, where they will almost certainly infect their coworkers and any other strangers they contact—and so kids don’t have to go to school with high fevers and infect their classmates and teachers.
Is there really any other way to contain this wave of outbreaks? Public health officials don’t seem to think so. In fact, a chorus of public health officials is continually commanding people to stay home when they’re sick and to keep their kids at home.
But as workers have responded again and again, the reality is that every day, workers are forced to go to work sick anyway. In this economy, too many are already terrified that they will be joining the ranks of the unemployed if they don’t show up to work, and they simply do not have the option to take that risk. The only way we can calm workers’ anxiety is to protect their jobs and wages when they’re out sick. It’s time to pass paid sick days to stop the spread of H1N1, but also to help us stave off any future outbreaks. Anything less would fall short of what is truly needed.
09.30.09 ~ Does Your Child Care Center Provide Paid Sick Days?
By Karen Pesapane, National Partnership
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention keeps updating its guidelines to help child care and early childhood programs - - and all of us - - respond to influenza during the 2009-2010 flu season.
Guidelines for providers include separating children with signs of illness from healthy children until the ill child can be picked-up, and not allowing children back to school until 24 hours after their fever naturally subsides.
Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius unveiled a new PSA featuring Elmo practicing sneezing into his arm and went on record saying “If your child comes down with the flu, we hope you plan to keep them home and not share this with their playmates.”
It’s been said enough over the past few weeks that I think we all get it. Staying home when feeling sick is one of the best ways to prevent the spread of illness.
But for all the recent emphasis on keeping sick kids home, I wondered if my 2 year-old son’s child care teachers were sick, would they stay home? Could they stay home?
So I did the unthinkable and I asked the director of my son’s child care if teachers are able to stay home when they are sick without losing pay or worrying about job security.
I was delighted to learn that the teachers at my son’s child care have a paid leave package that covers sick days, and that they also allow longer tenured employees (who earn more leave than newer employees) to transfer their leave hours to colleagues who may need them.
But I know the child care industry does not typically provide workers with paid sick days.
Case in point, my mother recently retired after 25 years of teaching child care in Connecticut. She told me recently how relieved she is that she retired when she did, because she never had any sick days. She shudders to think how any teachers in the same situation this flu season will not be able to follow the CDC’s advise and stay home when they are sick.
Unfortunately, the national emphasis on staying home when sick is neglecting to acknowledge the fact that millions of workers in this country don’t have a single paid sick day. If they stay home, they get no pay. This isn’t exactly a great time to be losing income, especially for working families.
We all need a reality check.
Ask your child care provider, or the barista at your favorite coffee joint, or the worker preparing your lunch order, or working members of your family: “Can you afford to stay home if you feel sick?”
If they say no, ask them to tell their leaders in Congress that we need a minimum standard of paid sick days in this country.
09.14.09 ~ With H1N1 Spreading this Fall: We Need Paid Sick Days, Not Another "iPhone App"
As schools reopen and cooler, drier temperatures return here to Washington, D.C., the nation waits for the second wave of the H1N1 flu to hit us. Meanwhile, we are bombarded by information on the Internet, in the news and through our email inboxes. Google, too, is in on the action, helping to track and map the H1N1 flu. And now, there’s even an “iPhone app” for the H1N1 virus! We know people are engaged when there’s an “app.” This one will enable users to track, report and be notified of H1N1 outbreaks on the ground, in real time. It will also allow researchers to collect data on new areas of flu activity.
Yet, when we look beyond the hype, the actual prevention of the spread of the H1N1 virus is relatively uncomplicated. Government officials are simply asking workers to stay home when they are sick, and to keep sick children home from school. Of course, there’s other advice, including coughing into your inner elbows, washing your hands frequently and getting vaccinated. But perhaps the most effective is to stay home when you’re sick.
The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) recommends that “people with influenza-like illness remain at home until at least 24 hours after they are free of fever…without the use of fever-reducing medications.” Schools will need to rely on parents to keep children at home if they are feverish.
Staying home to prevent the spread of H1N1 doesn’t require an “iPhone app,” or even access to Google maps. All a sick worker, or the parent of a sick child, needs is time off from work without the risk of losing their pay or their jobs. What workers urgently need is a guarantee that if they do the right thing and stay home with the flu, they won’t be docked pay, disciplined by an employer or fired.
A basic workplace standard of paid sick days would provide workers with such a guarantee. And it would help protect the public’s health by removing a key reason that sick adults go to work, and parents send sick children to school: concern about their financial security.
This policy establishing a standard of paid sick days has already been proposed by Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the late Sen. Ted Kennedy and Sen. Chris Dodd. The Healthy Families Act (HR 2460/ S 1152) would guarantee workers seven paid sick days a year to recover from illness like the flu and care for ill family members.
Now, we need urgent action from our elected leaders in the White House and Congress to make the Healthy Families Act the law of the land. We’ve heard a lot from officials about how to cough into our elbows, and that’s good. Now, we want to hear how they will ensure that working families don’t risk their financial security to do what is right for their own health and the health of others in their workplaces, schools and communities. A real commitment to quickly enact the Healthy Families Act would make this a flu season to remember.
08.26.09 ~ Responding to Swine Flu school closures: Webinars? Try Paid Sick Days
By guest blogger Katie Bethell of MomsRising.org
On Monday, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan released a statement calling on schools to "ensure instruction continues should the virus cause high absenteeism or school closings" that result from H1N1 (Swine Flu) outbreaks.
Duncan suggested schools should evaluate what materials they have available for at-home learning, such as distributing recorded classes on podcasts and DVDs; creating take-home packets with up to 12 weeks of printed class material; or holding live classes via conference calls or "webinars."
Webinars?!? I'm hip to the groove that we should keep kids learning, but the Secretary of Education needs a huge reality check.
The Department of Labor reported that over 68% school aged children have all parents working outside the home. That means that when schools close, or when kids are sick, the first, and most important question parents have is not "how do I make sure my child gets her math lesson" but instead is, "Who is going to take care of my 6 year old today when I have to work?!"
Secretary Duncan needs to see the big picture. If he wants to reduce the number of days that children miss out on learning due to illness, step one is to reduce the risk of that illness' transmission.
Paid Sick Days are critical to making this happen. As Dr. Anita Barry of the Boston Public Health Commission points out:
"For some parents... if they don't show up at work, they don't get paid, and people may already be on the economic margins," Barry says. "So parents were desperate to get some of these children back in school." As a result, there were many sick, contagious kids in Boston classrooms this spring.
If the Secretary Duncan wants to offer real help and support to parents, he should publicly support the Healthy Families Act. This act will allow working people to earn paid sick days that they can use to care for themselves or their children when they are sick. Paid Sick Days not only benefit families, they also save businesses money by keeping workers healthy and productive.
By setting a minimum standard for employer-provided paid sick days, we make sure that every working parent will be able to keep the flu out of schools so they don't have to close, and schools won't have to think about those pesky webinars.
08.20.09 ~ An Antidote to H1N1 (Swine Flu)
The Public Welfare Foundation has published a powerful new article that examines the disconnect between the government’s urgent guidelines regarding the upcoming H1N1 flu season and the reality facing millions of working families.
On August 19, top government officials held a press conference to persuade workers sick with the H1N1 flu to stay home — and remain at home until 24 hours after their fevers subside. Meanwhile, the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) is recommending that schools stay open even when students have H1N1 symptoms, but that those sick children stay home. While the government is also encouraging business owners to be flexible and accommodating during the H1N1 flu season, it doesn’t go far enough to address the needs of working families.
As the Public Welfare Foundation article explains, “recent alerts and guidelines that have been issued in anticipation of the resurgence of the H1N1 flu (or swine flu) — including the highest alert level from the World Health Organization in June — have American families scrambling to figure out how to deal with the threat of a serious disease or pandemic.” If the government took its guidelines a step further — to ensure that all working people have paid sick days — workers would be willing and able to stay home when they or their children contract the H1N1 flu.
Read the Public Welfare Foundation’s August 2009 newsletter article »
08.17.09 ~ Working People Need Paid Sick Days in an H1N1 (Swine Flu) Outbreak
The H1N1 flu is once again spreading.
Already the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have recorded 6,506 hospitalized and 436 deaths related to H1N1 flu. The cases of H1N1 are so widespread that the CDC and World Health Organization are no longer keeping track of the number of individual cases. However, public health officials estimate the number of H1N1 cases in the U.S. reached the one-million mark in June 2009.
Now, we’re expecting a second wave of the H1N1 flu this fall.
In a severe H1N1 flu pandemic, the CDC estimates that up to 40% of the workforce might not able to work either because they are ill or because they need to stay home to care for an ill family member. That’s two out of five workers that will need to take time off from work to recover from their own illness or to provide care. And, that’s only for the H1N1. We can safely assume that during the pandemic, other common illness, including the stomach flu, the cold or even other flu viruses, will continue to spread.
In light of the dire H1N1 projections, the CDC has issued a number of recommendations for the public and business community to prevent further spread of the H1N1 swine flu: “People with influenza-like illness [must] remain at home until at least 24 hours after they are free of fever, or signs of a fever without the use of fever-reducing medications.” “Encourage sick workers to stay home and away from the workplace, and provide flexible leave policies.”
However, the reality is that “staying home”—the CDC’s simple recommendation to prevent the spread of H1N1—is difficult for millions of workers lacking paid sick days. Nearly half of private-sector workers, including 76% of low-wage workers and 86% of food service workers, have no paid sick days. These workers do not currently have the luxury of taking the CDC’s advice without suffering adverse financial consequences.
With up to four in ten workers expected to be affected, we need a minimum standard of paid sick days. Enacting the Healthy Families Act will ensure workers are able to take time off without jeopardizing their financial security—and help prevent the spread of the H1N1 virus.
Share your story: Statistics only go so far in explaining why paid sick days are so important during the H1N1 swine flu pandemic. Please tell us, in your own words, "Why are paid sick days important to you or your family during the H1N1 swine flu pandemic?" Email us at info@nationalpartnership.org.
07.30.09 ~ Is Work and Family a Zero-Sum Game?
By Sophie Bauer
Can women be successful both on the job and in life? Former CEO of General Electric Co., Jack Welch, doesn’t think so. He seems to believe that work and family life amount to a zero-sum game, particularly for working women. In his comments at the Society for Human Resource Management’s yearly conference in New Orleans on June 28,Welch flatly stated that “There’s no such thing as work-life balance.” He later went on to say that, “There are work-life choices, and you make them, and they have consequences.” Welch firmly directed this critique towards women attempting to ‘make it to the top’ in the corporate world. But recent research suggests that, perhaps, Welch did not really do his homework.
First, Welch ignores the reality that for working women today, there really is no “work-life” choice. Women must learn to thrive in both arenas. They must be successful on the job and responsible to their family. Millions of women cannot and do not choose; rather, they cope with the demands from both sides. In fact, nearly three in four mothers with children under age 18 are in the labor force. And, the vast majority of these women work full-time. Working women in particular need policies like paid sick days and paid leave to meet the dual demands of work and family while succeeding in the working world.
Second, Welch missed the point that work-life policies are not only critical to workers, but employers as well. When responsible employers take care of their workers through policies that address the needs of working families, they are better able to recruit and retain them. And, when workers have the security of policies like paid time off, they are more committed and productive, and have higher morale. In turn, their employers reap the benefits of lower turnover and training costs.
In a recent Joint Economic Committee hearing, Karen Nussbaum of Working America/AFL-CIO directly addressed Welch’s statement. Citing research done by Ellen Galinsky of the Families and Work Institute, Nussbaum explained that “work/life policies are viable and widespread, increase productivity and personal satisfaction. Her research demonstrates that pursuing work/life policies in a recession is good for the bottom line”.
The hearing also highlighted the fact that not all employers understand the importance and necessity of work-life policies. With these employers in mind, we must urge our lawmakers to expand the FMLA, guarantee a basic workplace standard of paid sick days and establish a national paid family and medical leave program. Working families should not have to risk their financial well-being to care for their health or a family member who needs them.
With the help of more policies that address the dual needs of working families—and working women in particular—Mr. Welch’s statement could become entirely moot.
07.06.09 ~ New York City Mayoral Candidates (Bloomberg Included!) Express Support for Paid Sick Days
In a New York City mayoral candidates’ forum held last week by the Working Families Party, supporters of paid sick days heard candidates voice support for their policy, including current Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Mayor Bloomberg, who is running with the support of the City’s Republican and Independent Parties, said he was encouraged by the experiences that San Francisco and Washington, DC have had with paid sick days policies. He stated his general support for a paid sick days requirement, though he hedged about support for smaller businesses and said that his staff needs to study the policy. William C. Thompson, Jr., who is aiming for the Democratic Party’s nomination, stated his support for paid sick days more forcefully.
These words of support from high-profile players in the local—and national—political scene are a windfall for the local paid sick days campaign. But New York City advocates won’t rest on their laurels, especially given the Mayor’s unenthusiastic stance for full coverage for the City’s businesses. It is critical that paid sick days standards apply to all businesses, given the public health risks that can result when workers have no access to paid sick days. The New York City bill will be introduced at the end of July in the City Council.
>>Learn more at http://www.abetterbalance.org/ or http://www.timetocareny.org/
06.30.09 ~ City of Milwaukee Should Defend Its Paid Sick Days Ordinance
In a devastating blow to workers, a Milwaukee judge recently overturned the City’s paid sick days ordinance.
Last November, Milwaukee voters overwhelmingly passed a citywide paid sick days ordinance (with nearly 70% of the vote!) on the ballot to guarantee workers job-protected paid sick days to recover from illness, care for a sick family member, or seek services related to domestic violence.
Despite the decisive victory in November, longtime opponents from the local business lobby and the Milwaukee Metropolitan Area Chamber of Commerce (MMAC) contested the ordinance in court—and unfortunately won the first round.
The Milwaukee judge chose to throw out the entire ordinance based on a narrow technical argument. Even though the Milwaukee judge threw out the MMAC’s nine other challenges, he ruled that because the specific provisions allowing domestic violence victims time off to relocate and attend legal proceedings were not part of the very short ballot question, the entire ordinance should be overturned. He argued that these provisions regarding domestic violence leave exceeded the authority of the City of Milwaukee. Many legal experts argue that the judge made a bad call and that the decision should be appealed.
Now it’s up to the Mayor and the City of Milwaukee to appeal this bad decision and uphold the will of the voters. They have a limited number of days to appeal the ruling.
Milwaukee advocates are not giving up the fight. They are organizing workers and prominent Milwaukeeans to encourage the City to appeal the decision, and to make sure the ordinance has its day in court before a fair judge.
06.11.09 ~ New Study Shows Major Public Health Gains from Paid Sick Days
A study released today by Human Impact Partners and the San Francisco Department of Public health shows that passing the Healthy Families Act, which would let employees at firms with at least 15 employees earn up to seven paid sick days a year, would have a profoundly positive effect on public and individual health.
Currently, almost half of all workers choose between two bad options when they or their families are sick: they go to work sick, potentially causing a number of negative health outcomes, or they take time off when sick without pay or job protection, also risking a number of negative health outcomes. The Health Impact Assessment of the Healthy Families Act found that the legislation would prevent these difficult choices and provide significant positive public health impacts, such as:
- Increasing the use of primary and preventative care and thereby preventing the use of more cost-intensive health care resources (i.e. emergency room visits, hospitalization)
- Reducing the spread of pandemic and seasonal flu
- Protecting the public from diseases carried by sick workers (i.e. in restaurants, nursing homes, health care settings)
- Preventing hunger and homelessness resulting from loss of pay or jobs among sick, low-income workers
The full report is available at www.nationalpartnership.org/impact or www.humanimpact.org/PSD.
05.19.09 ~ Rep. Keith Ellison speaks on the House floor in support of paid sick days.
Here's a great video clip of Congressman Keith Ellison (MN-5) on the House floor talking about the need for a basic labor standard of paid sick days. Congressman Ellison discussed the need for Congress to pass the Healthy Families Act, which would guarantee workers up to seven paid sick days a year to recover from their own illness or to care for a sick family member, and provides paid sick time for diagnostic and medical appointments. It would also allow workers to use paid sick time to recover from or seek assistance related to an incidence of domestic violence, stalking or sexual assault.
04.28.09 ~ Domestic Violence Protections added to the Healthy Families Act in the 111th Congress
The Healthy Families Act will soon be introduced in the 111th Congress with a much-needed new provision: a domestic violence protection that would allow workers to use paid sick time to recover from or seek assistance related to domestic violence, stalking or sexual assault. This provision speaks to the need to ensure that victims can access necessary services—or leave a violent situation—without jeopardizing their paycheck or their jobs.
Nearly one in three women in the U.S. report physical or sexual abuse by a husband or boyfriend at some point in their lives. And up to 85 percent of domestic violence victims miss work because of physical and sexual abuse. Missing work leads to lost pay that can cause financial strain for victims, of course, but it also can lead to job loss. According to the General Accounting Office, 25 to 50 percent of domestic violence victims report losing a job, at least partially because of domestic violence.
Losing a job can be particularly devastating for victims of domestic violence, who often need economic security to ensure their safety, and in many cases, the safety of their children. We know that one of the key reasons survivors of domestic violence stay with their abusers is due to financial dependence: leaving could mean losing their housing, health care, or income. It is essential that survivors be able to seek out shelter, file restraining orders, attend court dates, or receive counseling to prevent further abuse and work disruption.
The new version of the Healthy Families Act would ensure that workers are not forced to choose between their income and their safety. We applaud Representative Rosa DeLauro and Senator Ted Kennedy, the lead sponsors of the bill, for addressing this critical need.
>>Encourage your members of Congress to co-sponsor the Healthy Families Act!
04.15.09 ~ Coalition Launches Spring Campaign for Healthy Families Act
The Healthy Families Act Coalition is kicking off a major spring advocacy surge to generate support for paid sick days in the 111th Congress. The Coalition, which includes over 150 advocacy, labor and community groups, will be advancing a new version of the Healthy Families Act that will better meet the needs of both employers and workers.
Senator Ted Kennedy and Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro expect to introduce the Healthy Families Act in May 2009, and our coalition is reaching out to members of Congress with one simple ask: support our nation’s working families by cosponsoring the Healthy Families Act. Especially in this economy, a worker shouldn’t be forced to choose between her paycheck and her own health or the well-being of her family.
The coalition’s goal is to garner strong Congressional support of the bill in time for its introduction and send the message loud and clear that the time for the Healthy Families Act is now. We’re focusing on the House of Representatives in order to schedule a hearing on the Healthy Families Act in the Education and Labor Committee in the coming months.
>>Encourage your members of Congress to co-sponsor the Healthy Families Act!
03.23.09 ~ Capitol Hill abounds in misinformation regarding the Healthy Families Act!
Rachna Choudhry
Last week, members of the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) were in Washington, DC lobbying their representatives in Congress to oppose, among other things, a basic standard of paid sick days. I had the opportunity to read their materials. What I learned surprised me.
SHRM understands the importance of workplace policies to "assist employees in meeting the dual demands of work and family." In fact, among SHRM's own members, three in four employers (64 percent) offer paid sick days to their employees. And, a vast majority (82 percent) of their member/employers offer paid vacation leave.
These statistics surprised me because while SHRM members understood the importance of offering work/family policies, they opposed efforts to ensure that all employers offer these policies. Wouldn't that level the playing field for all employers?
When I spoke with one SHRM member, vice president of human resources at a medium-sized company, she too thought that work and family policies were critical to a productive, loyal and satisfied workforce. She also said that human resources managers like her support work/family policies because it makes their jobs easier—even if the company’s executives don’t quite understand the importance of these policies.
So when I asked her why SHRM was opposing the Healthy Families Act, which would create a minimum standard of paid sick days, she didn’t have an answer. She even asked the question to other SHRM members, who agreed that paid sick days were important, but also didn’t understand why SHRM was opposing the Healthy Families Act.
Clearly, Capitol Hill abounds in misinformation regarding the Healthy Families Act!
>>Learn more about the myths we’ve heard, and get the real deal.
03.03.09 ~ State Action Updates
Legislative sessions are now underway around the country and paid sick days progress is continuing to build. State campaigns have been celebrating recent action, including bill introductions and campaign kickoffs, and many predict that their legislatures will hold hearings on the need for paid sick days within a few short weeks. Recent highlights include:
Massachusetts’s bill was introduced with nearly half of the members of the legislature signed on as cosponsors. Advocates kicked off their campaign with a press conference, cost-benefit report release, and lobby day.
Alaska’s bill has been introduced and will soon be heard by the Senate Labor and Commerce Committee.
Connecticut had a hearing in a key committee—the General Assembly's Labor and Public Employees Committee—and over a dozen proponents of the bill came out to testify.
North Carolina’s bill has been introduced and advocates will hold a press conference on March 4 to kick off the NC Paid Sick Days campaign.
California’s bill has been introduced and will likely be heard by the Labor and Employment Committee in April.
Minnesota’s bill has been scheduled for a hearing in the Labor and Consumer Protection Division of the Labor and Commerce Committee on March 6.
Illinois’s bill was introduced and referred to the House Labor Committee.
We expect to see exciting activity in these campaigns and in other state and city efforts in the coming weeks. Stay tuned for updates.
02.09.09 ~ State Action Round-Up: Off to a Strong Start in 2009
Legislative sessions have barely kicked off in states around the country, but paid sick days bills are already cropping up and starting to make progress. Just a few of the recent highlights:
New Hampshire's paid sick days bill has been introduced, and already had its first hearing—February 3 in the House Labor, Industrial and Rehabilitative Services Committee. A strong turnout of advocates, researchers, and public health experts testified in favor of the legislation. The bill is now scheduled for a vote in the Committee on February 11.
Minnesota's bill has also been introduced, and advocates were able to recruit enough original co-authors to hit the maximum limit for introduction. A hearing will be scheduled in both the Senate and the House in the upcoming weeks.
Connecticut's bill has been introduced and leaders in the legislature have continued to express their support for paid sick days on the record, committing to strong action this legislative session.
Milwaukee advocates gathered at the Mayor’s office on February 4. They urged the Mayor to ask the city attorney's office to fight a legal request from the business lobby, asking to delay enactment of the city's paid sick days ordinance. A large group of paid sick days supporters delivered letters and several hundred signatures against granting an injunction against the ordinance. Despite their efforts, the City declined to oppose the injunction, which the court then granted on February 6, delaying the paid sick days standard until the issue is resolved. The hearing will be held on May 11.
Several other state paid sick days advocates have introduced legislation and others will introduce their bills very soon. Given what we've seen already, we're hopeful for a historic year for these critical campaigns launching all around the country.
01.16.09 ~ Milwaukee’s fight for paid sick days moves to the courtroom
On November 4th, the people of the City of Milwaukee voted overwhelmingly in favor (69%) of paid sick and safe days for all workers. Unable to beat the campaign at the ballot box, business owners are now suing the City in an attempt to stop the ordinance from taking effect.
9to5 Wisconsin, the lead organization on the paid sick day campaign, is continuing its fight. This week, 9to5 won the right to be part of the lawsuit and help the City defend the statute. Recognizing how hard 9to5 has worked on this issue, the judge in the case noted “I can think of no entity, not even the city, that has an interest as strong as that of 9to5.” 9to5 will be working with the City to defend the statute and make sure workers get what the voted for.
As for the business owners, their attitude seems to be that the voters cannot be trusted—one business man in a neighboring town even likened paid sick days to ice cream for breakfast or monthly visits from Santa.
We know from San Francisco that paid sick days do not hurt job growth or the economy of a city—they merely protect workers from losing a job or a paycheck when they need to care for themselves or their family. In this economy, workers need this type of protection more than ever.
>>Read archived blog posts from 2008
