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A Virtual Rally for a Real-Life Need: Paid Sick Leave |
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The great thing about online rallies is you don’t have to worry about permits, weather, overzealous authorities or even time. Our friends over at the National Partnership for Women & Families kicked off their first-ever online rally for paid sick leave days on Feb 28, and it’s still going strong. That means you still have a chance to make it to the rally.
Nearly 50 percent of private-sector workers have no paid sick days, and low-income workers fare even worse—76 percent have no paid sick leave. Overall, 57 million private-sector workers in this country have no paid sick days, and 94 million cannot use their paid sick days to care for a sick child.
The virtual rally was designed to ignite broad support for legislation in Congress that will solve a real-world problem. The Healthy Families Act (S. 910 and H.R. 1542 ) would guarantee paid sick leave for workers to recover from an illness or take care of a sick family member.
When you visit the rally site, you can learn how to take action, share your story and more.
So far, thousands of working people have taken part in the online rally, where they have heard from community leaders, workers and union leaders about why we need a fundamental law ensuring paid sick days. Hundreds more shared their story about why paid sick days are important to them. Peggy from South Dakota wrote:
Here I sit at home, missing two days of work from a flu, knowing that now I will run short in getting every bill paid this month. I feel under-appreciated and under-valued.
Workers without paid sick leave are forced to make wrenching choices between their health or their family’s well-being.
Workers with paid sick days have also shared their stories. Christine from Maryland explained:
I am very lucky to have paid sick days. I was treated for breast cancer and needed to take sick days for surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. I was single, with no additional income, a mortgage, car payment, etc. Not to mention medical expenses! If I had to forgo all of that income for days missed, it could have bankrupted me. Every worker needs paid sick days.
If you haven’t joined the online rally yet, it’s not too late. Click here and let members of Congress know why paid sick days are important to you or your family.
3 Comments
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IN CALIFORNIA HERE IS WHAT WE ARE DOING!!!
SICK PAY TODAY AB2716
I AM SICK AND TIRED
OF BEING SICK THEN FIRED
NO HEALTH CARE AND NO PAY
WELFARE IS STARTED THIS WAY
MY SICKNESS IS PASSED BECAUSE I AM NOT HOME IN BED
TO MY CO-WORKERS AND CUSTOMERS ILLNESS IS SPREAD
WHEN I GET SICK I STILL COUGH AND MY HEAD WILL THROB
BUT I COME TO WORK FOR THE PAY AND TO KEEP THE JOB
IF I DO NOT COME IN THEN I GET NO PAY
I GIVE MY ILLNESS TO OTHERS THIS WAY
MY HEALTH AND YOURS ARE BEING EFFECTED
TO PROTECT US ALL IS WHY YOU WERE ELECTED
AS PARENTS WE KNOW THAT OUR CHILDREN GET SICK TOO.
WE STAY HOME TO CARE FOR THEM WHAT ELSE SHOULD WE DO
LOSS OF PAY FOR THE DAY THEN OUR JOBS ON THE LINE
PLEASE PASS THIS BILL AND ARNOLD PLEASE SIGN
THERE ARE GOOD EMPLOYERS WHO PAY FOR SICK DAYS
BAD COMPANIES TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE GOOD GUYS THIS WAY
GOOD EMPLOYERS SUFFER MORE EMPLOYEES OFF THE JOB
IT IS UNFAIR COMPETITION THE GOOD GUYS GET ROBBED
NOT IF BUT WHEN THE PANDEMIC ARRIVES IN OUR GREAT STATE
PEOPLE COMING TO WORK OR SCHOOL WILL ONLY AGGRAVATE
A PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS AND THAT MAKES MORE PEOPLE ILL
PENNY WISE AND FOOLISH WE NEED A CURE AB2716 IS THE PILL
YOU MUST PASS AB 2716 AND ARNOLD MUST SIGN
AND THAT IS WHY WE ARE ALL WALKING THIS PICKET LINE
WE COULD ALL COME TO THE CAPITOL WHEN WE ALL GET SICK
STROLL THE HALLS AND GIVE YOU THE DISEASE, YOUR CHOICE, YOU PICK
David Hurlburt
CWA local 9410
I work for a major airline that is unionized and we have personal sick time. Across the hall is a non-union airline and it is absolutely shocking to see what goes on there! They have people working loading bags with one arm and pulling heavy bag carts with one arm because their other arm is broken, casted and in a sling!
They limp in on crutches with sprained ankles and drag their casted legs all because they don’t have any paid sick time. And if they call in sick not only will they lose pay, they’ll fire them for poor attendance. And to think, they got hurt on the job doing work for the company!
You know, when corporate execs get sick, no problem; when CEOs get sick, no problem; when members of Congress or the US government gets sick, no problem; But what happens when the average hard worker who has no benefits gets sick? They really are stuck between a rock and a hard place.
All employees should have paid sick days, and it should not matter whether they are full time or part time. It should not matter how much they earn or what kind of job they do. Staying home when one is sick should be recommended by ALL employers; it is the best way to get well quicker, and the best way to keep others from getting sick. You know, common sense. Is there any left in the business world?