Washington Work and Family Coalition

Congresswomen Murray and DelBene champion the Healthy Families Act

Congresswomen Murray and DelBene introducing the Healthy Families Act in Seattle

The Washington Work and Family Coalition would like to offer big thanks to Senator Patty Murray and Representative Suzan DelBene for their courageous championing of the Healthy Families Act. Last Friday February 20th, Congresswomen Murray and DelBene hosted a press conference at Seattle’s Paramount Theater to introduce the Healthy Families Act, a bill that would allow workers with 15 or more employees to earn up to seven paid sick days per year.

Here in Washington, 1 million workers still lack access to a single paid sick day and that, Murray and DelBene say, is unacceptable. “Workers should not be forced to choose between caring for their health and keeping their paychecks,” says DelBene. Senator Murray, who has cosponsored the bill every year since 2004 says, “no one should ever have to choose between their health, or a loved one’s health, and their economic security. Our outdated policies are forcing too many workers to make that kind of choice – that needs to change.”

If passed, the Healthy Families Act would:

Allow workers at businesses with 15 or more employees to earn up to seven paid sick days per year;
Guarantee workers at businesses with fewer than 15 employees up to seven job-protected unpaid sick days per year;
Allow workers to use their sick days to care for a child, parent, spouse, domestic partner or other individual related by blood or affinity; and
Provide funding for outreach and education around the worker rights guaranteed in the law.

Workers around the country are leading the movement to demand paid sick days – and the Healthy Families Act comes in response to this growing national trend. Three states and 17 cities, including Seattle and Tacoma in Washington have passed paid sick days bills.

President Obama called for paid sick days in his State of the Union Address this past January. “Today, we are the only advanced country on Earth that doesn’t guarantee paid sick leave or paid maternity leave to our workers. Send me a bill that gives every worker in America the opportunity to earn seven days of paid sick leave. It’s the right thing to do.”

Thank you, Congresswomen Murray and DelBene, for your strong leadership and your commitment to supporting workers!

A big vote on paid sick days, minimum wage coming up for Washington’s working families

This past week, I heard Lilia, a working mom, testify to legislators in Olympia that even with two jobs, she has to remind her teenage sons to limit themselves to one glass of milk — because she can’t afford to buy more.

Another mother, Bianca, testified her job did not provide sick leave. She ended up quitting after her son became seriously ill.

That’s simply unacceptable. And it doesn’t have to be this way.

As early as next week, your legislator will cast their vote on two bills that will boost our state’s economy by protecting the economic security and improving the health of thousands of Washington families:

A $12 minimum wage (House Bill 1355)
Paid sick and safe leave (House Bill 1356)

It’s common sense: our economy is stronger when our families are more secure. A higher minimum wage means fewer kids going hungry or staying home alone sick, and more women able to save for their family and future. Ensuring everyone has access to paid sick days means people can care for themselves or a loved one, without fear of losing wages.

Please take a minute today to ensure families like Bianca’s and Lilia’s don’t fall through the cracks any more. Urge your state representative to pass a $12 minimum wage and paid sick days for Washington!

Together, we can create change for working families. Thank you!

~Marilyn, Gabriela and the entire team at the Washington Work and Family Coalition

“Proven standards…to protect public health, family economic security, and business prosperity” [VIDEO]

Marilyn Watkins, Policy Director of the Economic Opportunity Institute, testifies before the Washington State House Commerce & Labor Committee on HB 1356 (paid sick and safe leave), HB 1355 ($12/hour minimum wage), and HB 1354 (employee anti-retaliation), February 17, 2015:

I’m Marilyn Watkins of EOI.

Together these 3 bills strengthen our state economy, not only in the short run by boosting family incomes, but also long term by helping people keep their jobs. Every time someone loses a job, they are at much higher risk of depleting assets, potentially losing their home, needing public assistance, and reducing future retirement income.

Without government enacted standards, 40% of US workers don’t get a single day of paid sick leave. Among workers with the lowest 10% of pay, only 20% are voluntarily offered sick leave by employers. They must choose between keeping needed income and going to work sick.

Passing paid sick days will both improve the health of Washington’s children, and help close the achievement and dropout gaps for low income kids and children of color.

Nearly 2/3 of kids who qualify for free or reduced price lunch have parents with no sick leave. That means those kids are more likely go to school sick, less likely to have health conditions like asthma treated, more often have to miss school to care for sick younger siblings.

Paid sick leave also makes workplaces safer, saving in the workers’ comp system. Researchers from the CDC found workers without paid sick days are 28% more likely to suffer non-fatal workplace injuries.

Paid sick leave standards have now been passed in nearly 20 cities and 3 states. There is no evidence from any source using generally accepted social science methodologies that business or job growth has suffered in any of the jurisdictions with sick leave laws.

According to the University of Washington study of Seattle’s law, job growth has been stronger in Seattle than in the surrounding cities since the ordinance was implemented, while provision of sick leave in restaurants increased from 14% of employers to 78%.

House Bill 1356 establishes proven standards that we know work to protect public health, family economic security, and business prosperity. Please pass all 3 of these bills.