The Congressional Joint Economic Committee has released a new report on the impact of paid sick days legislation on working families.
Representative Rosa DeLauro and Senator Dodd held a press conference in Washington DC today to announce the findings.
“Almost half of all private sector workers—and 79 percent of low-income workers—do not have a single paid day off,” said Representative Rosa DeLauro. “That means 57 million Americans cannot take a day off if they or a member of their family falls ill. This new JEC report shows how paid sick days legislation will protect the public health by helping to stop the spread of diseases such as H1N1, save employers money, encourage productivity, and boost the economy simply by giving America’s workers the freedom and flexibility to stay home if they or their families are sick.”
“Let’s not forget the real victims of the recession – millions of struggling families across America who are just barely making ends meet. Ensuring access to paid sick days is one small but important step elected officials should take to ease the burden on those hardest hit by the recession,” said Jon Green, Executive Director of Connecticut Working Families.
Findings in the report include:
• The lack of paid sick days is most acute among low-wage workers, working women, and minorities and in occupations with key public health implications.
• Evidence suggests employers have been rolling back paid sick days in recent years.
• Employees without sick days are more likely to go to work sick.
• 80% of mothers assume primary responsibility for taking their children to doctor’s appointments
• Half of all working mothers must miss work if their child is sick, and half of them report they do not get paid when they do so
Yesterday, the Labor Committee of the Connecticut General Assembly approved a measure to create a basic workplace standard for paid sick days. The bill (SB 63) would allow workers at business with more than 50 employees to earn paid sick time – up to 5 days per year and explicitly protects flexibility for employers who already have paid leave policies. A similar bill passed in the House of Representatives last year, but wasn’t called for a vote in the Senate.
An estimated 600,000 workers in Connecticut lack paid sick days. Some of the largest groups of workers without paid sick days include workers in food service, retail and healthcare. When those workers can’t afford to miss pay and come to work sick, they risk spreading illness to their coworkers and to the general public.
