Washington, California and Nebraska push for paid sick leave laws

psd fact sheet
Fact sheet: Paid sick and safe days

Across the country, cities and states are working to ensure that every working family has access to paid sick days. In Washington, we’re working with small businesses, faith leaders, unions, doctors and moms to pass HB 1313 – a bill that would allow every worker in Washington to accrue paid sick leave.

But we need your help – email lawmakers and urge them to pass paid sick days on our action page. It only takes two minutes.

In California, Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (D) introduced legislation to expand San Francisco’s 2006 paid sick days law statewide.

If businesses are concerned about extra costs, the experience within their own state can put their fears to rest. After San Francisco’s ordinance was implemented, the city saw an increase in employment even while it fell in the five closest neighboring counties. The number of businesses, both large and small, also grew while falling in close by counties. Businesses themselves recognized that it came with little cost — a majority said understanding and implementing the new policy wasn’t difficult — and more than 70 percent said that it had either no impact or a positive impact on their profitability. In 2011, two-thirds of the city’s employers reported being supportive of the law, with a third saying they are “very supportive.” Via ThinkProgress

And it’s not just California. Seattle, Portland, OR, San Francisco, Washington, DC, New York City, Jersey City, and Connecticut have established paid sick leave laws. Paid sick days were approved by voters in Milwaukee but state lawmakers struck down the law by banning cities from passing paid leave. Workers in Tacoma, Newark, and even Nebraska are working to pass paid sick days.

On Thursday, a group of Nebraska state Senators introduced a package of legislation aimed at helping the state’s workers, including a measure that would create a paid family leave program…The legislative package also includes a raise of the state’s minimum wage, which currently rests at the federal floor of $7.25 an hour, to $9 over three years, a requirement that employers offer paid sick days to certain workers, and an increase in the state’s Earned Income Tax Credit for low-income families. Sen. Danielle Conrad (D), who introduced the paid sick leave, says that about 43 percent of the state’s workers lack access to paid time off for illnesses. Via ThinkProgress 

Check out our resources and fact sheets to learn more about the business, economic and family-impacts of paid sick days.

Action Alert: We all need paid sick days

One evening in 2010, Monica’s baby had a seizure. After a frantic call to 911, a terrifying rush to the hospital, and a night spent by her son’s side, Monica had to get to her 7 am shift at a local Safeway. She hated to leave her son but she couldn’t afford to lose a day’s pay or risk her job. But now with paid sick days in Seattle, Monica – and more than two and a quarter million other workers across the country – don’t have to leave an ill child or go to work sick.

Nearly 1 million Washington workers – or one-third of the state’s workforce – do not have access to paid sick leave. Everyone needs paid sick days – whether to stay home and battle the flu or take care of a sick child. Across the country, states and cities are taking action to expand  access to paid sick days. Washington D.C., New York City, San Francisco, Jersey City, Connecticut, Portland, OR, SeaTac and Seattle have passed laws allowing workers to accrue paid sick leave.

Urge Washington state lawmakers to take action on paid sick days today.

Washington HB 1313, a bill establishing minimum standards for earned paid sick days, is ready for lawmakers to take action on right away. Given the short 60 day legislative session, Washington’s House of Representatives should move forward to pass HB 1313 early in the session.

Take a couple minutes to email the House of Representatives today and urge them to take action on paid sick days. Or you can take action by calling the legislative hotline at 1-800-562-6000.

Paid sick days are a matter of basic human dignity. No one should be forced to work sick or leave a child home alone and sick because they’re afraid of losing their job or a day’s pay. Paid sick days will strengthen Washington’s businesses, workers and families.

Watch Monica’s story and take action today.

Morgan Stanley Vice Chairman: Invest in Paid Family Leave

Morgan Stanley Vice Chairman Tom Nides Photo via Flickr

A strong voice from Wall Street is weighing in on the importance of paid family leave for parents of newborn children and people caring for seriously ill or elderly relatives. Tom Nides served as Deputy Secretary of State and recently moved to Morgan Stanley. The investment banker supports legislation that would create employee-paycheck deduction pools that would compensate workers during family leaves. Such bills have been introduced in Congress and in Albany, Nides said.

“For New Yorkers, it’s a huge benefit and a huge plus. We gotta move this debate forward. And by the way, it’s the right thing to do,” he said.

Last Wednesday, Rhode Island became the third state to offer workers paid family leave, along with New Jersey and California. New York Sen. Kristen Gillibrand and Connecticut Rep. Rosa DeLauro, both Democrats, have introduced federal legislation, but so far no Republicans have endorsed it.

Some business groups have said that even though family leave wouldn’t be paid by taxpayers or employers but by paycheck deductions, it should be voluntary, not government-mandated. Nides said it is an idea whose time has come.

“I am totally aware, as a businessperson and as someone who’s been involved in public policy for a long time, that this is difficult for a lot of companies, this is expensive,” Nides said. “But we’ve got to begin having this conversation in the United States.”

Nides said worker productivity will rise and employers will recognize the goodwill that comes out of paying for family leave time off.

“There’s no question that studies have shown that individuals given the opportunity to have a few weeks to take care of a newborn or a sick family member say it’s critically important to the productivity of that individual,” he added.

America lags behind many other developed nations in providing paid family leave.

By Mark Scheerer, Public News Service – NY
Listen to the full interview and news story here.