Lack of Paid Sick Days May Worsen Flu Pandemic

From the New York Times:

Public health experts worried about the spread of the H1N1 flu are raising concerns that workers who deal with the public, like waiters and child care employees, are jeopardizing others by reporting to work sick because they do not get paid for days they miss for illness.

Tens of millions of people, or about 40 percent of all private-sector workers, do not receive paid sick days, and as a result many of them cannot afford to stay home when they are ill. Even some companies that provide paid sick days have policies that make it difficult to call in sick, like giving demerits each time someone misses a day.

Public health experts say policies like these encourage many people with H1N1, commonly called swine flu, to report to work despite official warnings from the government and most companies that they should stay home.

“For people who are really caught on a weekly income, if they can’t make a go of it, they might say, ‘I’m desperate. I’m going to do what I have to do, and I’m going into work even though I’m sick,’” said Robert Blendon, a professor of health policy at Harvard.

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With H1N1 Spreading this Fall: We Need Paid Sick Days, Not Another “iPhone App”

Cross-posted from National Partnership for Women and Families:

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.

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TAM Special Report: Decent Work, Living Wages

The American prospect report coverThe trends described in this special report paint a picture of an economy that was in trouble long before the current recession took hold — at least from the standpoint of the American worker.

Whether their distress is measured by stagnant wages or contingent jobs or violations of core labor laws, today’s workers face a daunting labor market likely to provide them with fewer opportunities than their parents had.

I recommend…

Government Paves the Way | Paul Sonn and Annette Bernhardt
A decent work agenda for the Obama administration.

Decent Work | Robert Kuttner
How government can get back on the side of promoting good jobs.

Broken Laws, Unprotected Workers | Annette Bernhardt, Ruth Milkman and Nik Theodore
Rebuilding our economy on the back of illegal working conditions is morally untenable — and it is bad economics.

Or view the whole report.