This morning his I attended a press conference with Representative Barbara Lambert held at IHOP to highlight the public health risk created when food service workers lack paid sick days.
That’s me in the rear with the hat, Lindsay Farrell to the right of me, and Rep. Lambert to the left of the sign.
Representative Barbara Lambert shared stories of workers who’d lost their jobs when they called out sick.
“No one should get fired just because they got sick,” said Representative Lambert. “But for far too many food service workers, if you get sick, the only choices are risking your job or coming to work sick and serving our food. Small employers will be exempt and only those with 50 or more employees would be required to comply with this legislation. Allowing a truly ill employee to take sick time off is the right thing to do.”
Rep. Barbara Lambert at the Rotary Lobster Bake with Genivieve Salvador and Rep. Paul Davis.
Paid sick days advocates at the press conference distributed mock-up menus with dishes like “Chicken Snot Pie” and “Grilled Sneeze and Tomato.”
“When people have to go to work sick, it shouldn’t surprise us that illness spreads,” said Lindsay Farrell, Legislative Director of Connecticut Working Families. “Almost 80% of food service workers lack paid sick days. Think about that next time you’re out to eat.”
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. 78% of employees working in food service and accommodations lack paid sick days. 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.
According to the Center for Disease Control, there are 23 million ‘norovirus’ infections (often called ‘stomach flu’) every year in America – about half of which are attributable to ill food service workers.
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. The bill 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.
A new study published by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) drew a connection between the lack of paid sick days and the spread of H1N1, the so-called “swine flu” virus. The report, “Sick at Work: Infected Employees in the Workplace During the H1N1 Pandemic” made the following findings:
• An estimated 8 million American employees came to work while infected with H1N1.
• An estimated 7 million people contracted the illness from a sick co-worker.
• Workers without paid sick days were far more likely to come to work while infected with H1N1.
In 2008, it made headlines across Connecticut when dozens of UCONN students caught a “norovirus” after a banquet at Adam’s Mill Restaurant in Manchester. A subsequent investigation by the Connecticut Department of Public Health attributed the spread to a single ill food service worker – the salad preparer. The DPH’s Connecticut Epidemiologist publication recommended, “Correct handling of cold foods, strict hand washing after using the bathroom, and paid sick leave may substantially reduce foodborne transmission of Noroviruses.“
Video of the event, courtesy of Aldon Hynes:
part 1: http://qik.com/video/5513205
part 2: http://qik.com/video/5513384
