1 Introduction to Paid Sick Days Everyone get sick. Not everyone has time to get better. Insert Name and Date

2 If you work hard, you should be able to care for yourself and your family. Yet, too many working families are forced to choose between taking care of a sick child or losing a day’s pay, or even losing a job. It shouldn’t be that way. No worker should have to make this impossible choice.

3 Work and Family Realities The workforce has changed and families face tough choices. Women are in the paid labor force more than ever before, and the majority of families depend on at least two incomes. –Women are still predominantly responsible for meeting family caregiving needs. For example, almost half of working mothers report that they must miss work when a child is sick. And of these mothers, 1 in 2 do not get paid when they miss work to care for a sick child. Source: Kaiser Family Foundation, “Women, Work and Family Health: A Balancing Act,” Issue Brief, April 2003.

4 Work and Family Realities At least 1 in 2 workers are caring for children, parents, or parents-in-law. Both parents work for pay in 2/3 of families with children. Too often, working Americans are forced to make untenable choices between a paycheck or job and caring for their own and a family member’s health. Source: Forgotten Families, Jody Heymann, Oxford University Press, 2006.

5 Work and Family Realities More families will be caring for an elderly family member in the future. As Baby Boomers retire, workers will provide more care. The elderly represented 12.4% of the population in 2000, and are expected to comprise 20% of the population by More than a third of Americans report having significant elder care responsibilities, and more than a third of this group had to take reduced work hours and take time off to provide care. Sources: Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Aging. Statistics on the Aging Population, 2005.

6 Work and Family Realities Families lack the most basic work support to provide care: –Nearly half of private sector employees - 56 million - don't have a SINGLE paid sick day. –Even more, 86 million workers, don’t have paid sick days they can use to care for an ill family member. Source: No Time to be Sick, Vicky Lovell, Institute for Women’s Policy Research, 2004.

7 Working Families Lack Paid Sick Days The majority of middle income Americans lack paid sick days. Low-wage workers are significantly worse off. –Nationally, 76 percent of low-income families have no paid sick days. –Roughly 60 percent of middle-income families lack sick leave. –Even in the highest income quartile, 40 percent of families lack sick leave. Source: No Time to be Sick, Vicky Lovell, Institute for Women’s Policy Research, 2004.

8 Low-wage Workers Hit Hardest 41% of low-wage working parents have no paid leave of any kind - no paid sick leave, no paid vacation, and no paid personal days. 67% of low-wage working parents lose pay to take care of a sick child or have to leave their child home alone. Sources: 1. Getting Time Off: Access to Leave among Working Parents, Katherin Ross Phillips, The Urban Institute, Forgotten Families, Jody Heymann, Oxford University Press, 2006.

9 Paid Sick Days Protect Public Health Workers who disproportionately lack paid sick days work with the public every day. 86% of food and public accommodation workers don’t have any paid sick days. Workers in child care centers, retail, and nursing homes also disproportionately lack paid sick days. Source: No Time to be Sick, Vicky Lovell, Institute for Women’s Policy Research, 2004

10 Paid Sick Days Reduce Health Care Cost Paid sick days allow workers to access available health care, and also provide inexpensive informal care by allowing workers to stay home sick or with sick family members. Preventive and routine medical care results in huge health care savings by detecting and treating illness and injury early. Paid sick days will reduce the social and economic costs of avoidable hospitalizations.

11 Employers Benefit From Paid Sick Days Employers benefit from reduced turnover, higher employee morale, and higher productivity. –Ill workers cost employers $255 per employee in lost productivity per year. –Employees who come to work sick spread disease to other workers. –Reducing turnover results in huge cost savings. Turnover costs 25% of total salary per employee. Sources: 1. Ron Goetzal, et al, Health Absence, Disability, and Presenteeism Cost Estimates of Certain Physical and Mental Health Conditions Affecting U.S. Employers, Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, April 2004; 2. Lovell, No Time to Be Sick; 3. The Employment Policy Foundation, Employee Turnover – A Critical Human Resource Benchmark, HR Benchmarks, 2002.

12 Global Context: US Lags Behind 153 nations around the world provide sick leave for working adults. –126 countries provide at least one week. –95 countries provide paid sick leave at least a month. –76 countries provide paid sick leave for at least 26 weeks or until recovery. –The vast majority provide leave with at least 50% of wages. Source: Jody Heymann, The Work, Family and Equity Index, Where Does the United States Stand Globally?, The Project on Global Working Families, Harvard University, 2004.

13 National Overview There is no federal paid sick leave policy for workers or their children’s health. 7 states guarantee workers with accrued paid sick leave the ability to care for a sick family member: California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maine, Minnesota, Washington, & Wisconsin. Recently, bills to set a minimum standard have been introduced in several states, and local leaders are responding as well.

14 Federal Minimum Standard Bill The Healthy Families Act (S. 932, H.R. 1902) –Senator Kennedy (D-MA) and Rep. DeLauro (D-CT) introduced in 108 th and 109 th Congress. –Guarantees 7 paid sick days for full-time employees, pro-rata amount for part-time, can be used to care for one’s own health or a family member. –Coalition of over 100 organizations & growing support. Contact the National Partnership for Women & Families for more information.

15 Public Opinion Supports Paid Sick Days 4 in 5 Americans believe employers must provide paid sick leave. 84% of likely voters supported a 2006 proposition to guarantee paid sick days to workers. Nearly all working women (93%) report that paid sick leave is an important benefit, ranking only behind health insurance when given a list of 10 employment benefits. Working women with (90%) and without children (82%) believe that having paid leave to care for sick family members is important employment support.

16 Thank You!