For example, when parents can’t take a paid sick day, children are less likely to go to the doctor and more likely to go to school sick. But a 2003-2004 study indicated that only 36% of American children in families below 200% of the federal poverty line had a parent with sick leave, compared with 81% of those above 200% of the poverty line.

At the other end of the age spectrum, this 2008 study shows nearly 1 in 5 American workers provided unpaid care to an elderly person that year, and more than 4 in 10 provided care in the previous five years. But low-income families living from paycheck-to-paycheck are the least likely to have paid sick days available on the job. In the U.S., just 2 in 10 of the lowest paid workers had access to paid sick leave in 2010, compared to 84% of the highest earners.

Given their importance to so many people, it’s no surprise to see so many people “raise their hands” for a minimum paid sick days standard. A 2008 poll from the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago found:

• 94 percent of self-identified liberals and 81 percent of self-identified conservatives believed that paid sick day should be a basic workplace right.
• 86 percent of people surveyed said they favor a basic paid sick day policy.
• 77 percent of respondents believed that paid sick days were very important.
• 63 percent of workers who did not have access to paid sick leave said they were concerned about not having paid sick days.
• 46 percent of respondents said they are more likely to vote for a candidate who supports paid sick days.

As we head into 2012, there are a lot of questions about where the Occupy energy will go from here. I’m confident it will move in powerful directions–fighting unjust foreclosures and evictions, exploring alternative banking, taking on outrageous student debt, countering the corrosive role of corporate money in politics, and allying in new ways with the growing ranks of poor Americans.

But there are also tangible—maybe not sexy or systemic—reforms that make a real difference in people’s lives and speak to OWS principles, and would benefit from its energy and activism. In 2011, two victories on paid sick leave offer something to build on as we work towards an economy that is more just and fair. Connecticut became the first state to guarantee this common sense protection for working people; and Seattle joined San Francisco and Washington, DC as the only cities with paid sick leave on the books.

As of New Year’s Day, hundreds of thousands of workers in Connecticut no longer have to choose between a paycheck, a job and taking care of a sick child or themselves; and on September 1, when the Seattle law takes effect, an estimated 150,000 workers who didn’t have paid sick days will begin to accrue them—thousands more will earn additional paid sick leave and have the flexibility and protection to actually use it. With more than 40 million workers in the US lacking a single paid sick day—and low-wage, women and Latino workers disproportionately affected—these new laws will also offer more evidence that this humane, decent approach to the workplace is also good for business. That’s important as more states and municipalities look to pass similar legislation.

What makes me angry is that paid sick leave is treated as a left versus right issue, when it’ s really about right versus wrong, and common sense. That was something organizers seized on as they pushed the Seattle bill.

“When parents don’t have access to paid sick leave, that means when their kids are sick they can’t stay home with that child,” says Marilyn Watkins, policy director for the Economic Opportunity Institute (EOI) which brought together public health groups, businesses, unions and community organizations to form the Seattle Coalition for a Healthy Workforce. “We had school nurses testifying about sick kids lined up in their offices with no adult able to come pick them up. Or children begging them not to call a parent because they were afraid she would lose her job if she had to come and pick them up.”

But even when the moral argument is clear, one lesson from both the Seattle and Connecticut victories is this: only hard, savvy organizing can overcome the entrenched corporate interests and Big Business lobbies with their rote arguments that reform will “cost jobs” or create a “competitive disadvantage”, “now isn’t the time”, etc. As Connecticut Working Families Party (CT WFP) executive director Jon Green puts it, “There are no shortcuts” when it comes to prevailing in these campaigns.

For the CT WFP that meant four years of work prior to passing the legislation. It meant forming a diverse coalition that included labor, women’s groups, doctors, nurses, antipoverty groups, retirees, and enlightened business owners. There was an aggressive and creative media campaign, and canvassing that knocked on tens of thousands of doors, generating thousands of testimonials, letters, emails, and phone calls. The coalition relied on smart research and advice from the likes of the National Partnership for Women and Families, the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, the Economic Policy Institute, Family Values at Work, and others.

Considering the economic climate and powerful opposition that is intent on turning back the clock on hard-earned protections at the workplace, and that the margin of victory in passing the final bill in the Senate was just one vote—18-17—it’s clear that every ounce of energy from the entire coalition was required.

In Washington State, the path was no less arduous.

EOI’s statewide coalition began pushing work-family issues and paid sick leave in the state legislature over a decade ago. In 2009, on the heels of the H1N1 epidemic and sick leave legislation passing in San Francisco, DC, and Milwaukee (which was never implemented, thank you once again Scott Walker), the focus turned to municipal campaigns and there was a lot of interest in Seattle.

Throughout 2010 organizers focused on building a formidable coalition in the city. Statewide groups reached out to local groups like the Seattle Women’s Commission and Martin Luther King County Labor Council. There was a concerted effort to bring in small businesses, city council members, the mayor’s office, and the Office of Civil Rights—responsible for enforcement. Members of a coalition that had worked hard to pass national healthcare were also engaged in the local fight. Ultimately, more than 75 organizations joined the Seattle Coalition for a Healthy Workforce, including MomsRising, Puget Sound Sage, UFCW 21, Legal Voice, Washington CAN, Puget Sound Alliance for Retired Americans, and the Washington State Labor Council.

By the end of 2010 the Seattle coalition was confident that the pieces were in place for a legislative push. The visible, public part of the campaign occurred between the end of April through passage in September, but the groundwork had been laid for over a year and a half. The people of Seattle turned out—sending emails, making phone calls, packing city hall, attending rallies, and testifying at hearings. It was clear to elected officials that “the vast majority of people who live and work and shop and eat out in Seattle supported this policy,” Watkins says.

“People thought it was a really fast campaign but a number of groups had been working on this for a long time and it gave us a really strong start,” says Watkins. “We built a coalition that had a high level of trust among members. We really were able to build both the grasstops and the grassroots strength to run a successful campaign.”

This month, another fight for economic sanity will occur in New York City over a bill that would require a living wage for workers on large, city-funded development projects. Mayor Michael Bloomberg has already rolled out the job loss/competitive disadvantage arguments. The New York Times cites a Center for American Progress study that found 15 cities with living wage laws—including Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Cleveland and San Francisco—“had the same levels of employment growth” as similar cities without the higher wage requirements. New York City Public Advocate and Nation contributor Bill De Blasio—expected to run for mayor in 2013—has come out full steam in support.

This battle is like those waged successfully in Connecticut and Seattle in 2011—it’s about the heart and soul of this nation, and reforms that make a big difference in the day-to-day lives of millions of Americans.

From the Huffington Post | By Ellen Bravo:

This time last year, Desiree Rosado, a school bus driver in Groton, Connecticut, was dreading flu season. “Working without paid sick days, you’re always worried about what will happen if you get sick,” she said. “When my kids caught the swine flu, I missed a week of pay to stay home and take care of them, and I’m still paying off the credit card bills I racked up.”

But as of January 1, Desiree and hundreds of thousands of other Connecticut workers will begin to earn paid sick time under a new statewide paid sick days law — the first in the nation. She’ll be able to use that time if her kids are sick, if she herself falls ill, or to see a doctor for preventive care. In the process, Desiree says she’s gained “real peace of mind.”

For Desiree and workers across Connecticut, paid sick days are one immediate way to see real economic relief, even in the aftermath of a severe recession.

As someone who drives children safely back and forth to school every day, Desiree Rosado knows another benefit of paid sick days. The new Connecticut law, which applies to workers in the service sector, means those who serve our food and care for the young and the frail will not have to put the public at risk when they’re ill.

“No one should have to choose between their family’s health and their job, and no one should get fired just for getting sick,” said Jon Green, Executive Director of Connecticut Working Families, a member group of Family Values @ Work Consortium and lead organization in the broad coalition which helped win this new law. “Beginning this year, hundreds of thousands of service workers will be able to earn paid sick days that so many of us simply take for granted. This is an important but modest step towards a smarter, healthier Connecticut.”

Read more from the Huffington Post »

A cost-benefit analysis by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) examined the higher frequency of costly emergency room visits among those without paid sick leave. IWPR concluded that if workers had universal access to paid sick days, 1.3 million emergency department visits and $1 billion in health care costs could be avoided annually. Why? Because paid sick days enable people to better utilize primary care services and reduce the need for pricey emergency room visits.

These are powerful statistics, but the economic benefits of paid sick leave go far beyond the cost of healthcare. In a recent report, Demos highlights access to workplace benefits, including paid sick days, as one of their “strategies for turning bad jobs into quality employment.”

In a different report, Demos and the Young Invincibles identify paid sick leave as a “key policy” to improve the economic outlook for 18-34 year olds. Poll results showed only a quarter of young people have paid sick days, and the numbers are worse for women and Latinos. Further, younger generations feel they are worse off than their parents and many are fearful about losing a job due to illness.

Similarly, a recent report by Half in Ten found that work supports, such as paid sick leave, are particularly critical for low-income workers. They provide details about the economic need for paid sick days and other workplace benefits, and identify paid sick leave as an important indicator of a quality job. In a blog about Half in Ten’s findings, the National Partnership for Women and Families explains that without basic work supports, families will struggle to stay out of poverty and communities will experience halted economic growth.

These reports show lower health care costs, increased job security and stronger economic growth are associated with good workplace benefits – particularly paid sick days. Until all workers have access to these benefits, economic security will be out of reach for many individuals and families.

By the way, in case you hadn’t heard about Seattle’s paid sick days ordinance, watch City Council member Nick Licata discuss the recent local success. The Center for American Progress hosted an October event which brought together several champions of Paid Sick Days policies across the country, including Mr. Licata.

Will ALEC bring Cyrus the Virus back to Seattle? (photo: Seattle Coalition for a Healthy Workforce)

From PR Watch:

Will Philadelphia‘s and Seattle‘s new paid sick leave ordinances be overridden by their states? Or will the states back them up, as Connecticut has? If the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) has any say in the matter, Pennsylvania and Washington State should override the city ordinances as Wisconsin has done.

ALEC is the corporate-funded bill mill where right-wing legislators and corporate members craft, then vote to approve, “model legislation” that mostly benefits the corporate bottom line. ALEC’s 2011 Annual Meeting was held in New Orleans in August.

According to materials obtained by the Center for Media and Democracy, paid sick leave was a hot topic on this year’s agenda of corporations and their allied politicians. “Paid family medical leave” was the only topic of discussion by the Labor and Business Regulation Subcommittee of the Commerce, Insurance and Economic Development Task Force, according to the meeting minutes.

Meeting attendees were given complete copies of Wisconsin’s 2011 Senate Bill 23 (now Wisconsin Act 16), as a model for state override. They were also handed a target list and map of state and local paid sick leave policies prepared by ALEC member, the National Restaurant Association. In Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Restaurant Association lobbied for SB 23 to repeal the sick leave ordinance, as did the the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce (MMAC), the local branch of the the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, an ALEC member. The effect of the repeal will be more sick workers at work, making others ill, in order to save or increase profits by corporations.

Not surprisingly, ALEC’s Labor and Business Regulation Subcommittee is co-chaired by YUM! Brands, Inc., which owns Kentucky Fried Chicken, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell. Fast food companies have fought paid sick leave across the country.

Get the full story from PR Watch »

The quality of a child’s pre-school shouldn’t depend on their parent’s disposable income; every child deserves the opportunity to get a strong start in life. To accomplish that, day care has to be not only affordable for parents, but the people working there need the opportunity for professional development and compensation to ensure well-trained and experienced professionals are caring for the next generation.

Luck shouldn’t determine whether you can afford the college degree or other training you need to move up. Diligence, hard work and applied talent should have a lot more to do with it. That’s one of the reasons we need statewide tax reform: to improve funding for higher education, so our state’s colleges and universities become affordable again for a middle-class family.

You shouldn’t have to fear losing your job because you or someone in your family got unlucky with the flu – or because you are lucky enough to welcome a new child into your family. We need strong workplace standards like paid sick days and family leave insurance so everyone can take responsibility for their health, their family and their job.

And after a lifetime of hard work supporting yourself and/or your loved ones, there’s no reason you should have to gamble on the chance to retire with dignity and a measure of economic security intact. That’s why it’s important we not only maintain Social Security benefits, but expand them.

It boils down to this: To have a real shot at the American Dream, people need to get their cards from a straight shuffle, not a crooked deal. Making a living, keeping your family healthy, and being able to get ahead should have more to do with the content of your character and your willingness to work hard, than where and when you’re born.

Occupy Wall Street and We Are The 99% exist because the rules of our economy are rigged to grant extraordinary favor to the few at the expense of the rest. It’s no surprise that people are rejecting the stagnant wages, sky-high costs for childcare and college, underwater mortgages and dwindling nest eggs they’ve been dealt. Now we’ve got to rewrite our public policies to keep the dealers honest and ensure everyone gets a straight shuffle.

Councilman Nick Licata

Friday (10/21/11) at 6:30 AM PST, the Center for American Progress and the National Partnership for Women & Families are hosting a discussion on the growing momentum for paid sick days laws. Paid, job-protected sick days provide a critical workplace standard that promotes the economic security of U.S. workers and their families and safeguards the health of our communities.

Governor Dan Malloy, (D-CT)
Councilman Nick Licata, Seattle City Council Member
Andy Shallal, Founder, Busboys and Poets

Join the conversation with Connecticut Gov. Dan Malloy, who championed and signed the nation’s first statewide paid sick days law, Seattle City Council Member Nick Licata, the champion of the paid sick days ordinance that recently made Seattle the third U.S. city with a paid sick days standard, and D.C. restaurant owner Andy Shallal, who provides paid sick days to his employees.

Watch a livestream of the event here »

Learn more »

Seattle recently became the third U.S. city to adopt paid sick days standards. With an 8 to 1 council vote on September 12, Seattle joins San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and the state of Connecticut in establishing this common-sense public health protection.

As the lead sponsor of Seattle’s sick leave ordinance, and chair of the coalition that rallied public support, we are proud of making Seattle a better city to live, work, shop, and run a business. We hope our success will encourage others.

Mayor McGinn signing the Paid Sick Days ordinance. PHOTO: Jen Nance.

In Seattle, about 40 percent of the workforce—190,000 workers—lack paid sick leave. Nationally, the figure is 44 million. Many of these people work directly with the public, in restaurants, retail, and health care. They face a hard choice when sick: either go to work and risk infecting coworkers and customers, while recovering more slowly, or stay home and come up short paying the bills. It’s no wonder that 20 percent of food service employees reported working with vomiting or diarrhea.

Testimony before the Seattle City Council built a compelling case that adopting paid sick days would promote public health, children’s well-being, family economic security, and business prosperity.

School nurse Robin Fleming described flu epidemics sweeping through schools, with sick children lying in her office for hours because no family member could get off work. Tasha, a grocery clerk (whose story is profiled in the Family Values @ Work video “Contagion: Not Just a Movie”), detailed the devastation to her family budget every time she or one of her children became ill and she had to take unpaid days off.

Makini Howell of Plum Bistro and Jody Hall of Cupcake Royale were among many small business owners who endorsed the ordinance. They want staff and customers to stay healthy, and recognize that workers who are supported and respected become more loyal and productive, building more profitable businesses.

In fact, Howell, Hall, and other business owners sat down with advocates and hashed out a “Common Ground” proposal that became the basis for Seattle’s policy.

Seattle’s ordinance covers most of the half million workers within the city limits. Starting in September 2012, companies with the equivalent of 5 to 49 full-time workers must allow workers to earn up to 5 paid sick days, firms with 50 to 249 must provide 7 days, and larger firms 9 days. Companies are free to provide leave as flexible-use paid time off (PTO), so long as the leave can be used as needed for the health needs of the worker or close family members, or as “safe time” to deal with consequences of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking. Large firms, if they do use PTO, must provide at least 13.5 days. Shift swapping is allowed, and new companies have two years to comply.

The paid sick days ordinance generated more e-mails and phone calls to council members than any issue in memory. Public hearings and forums were packed. Consistent with polling, which shows overwhelming public support, most people voicing an opinion supported the ordinance. But some expressed fear of acting in a fragile economy, or making Seattle appear anti-business. Others took a more ideological stance against government regulation.

Seattle’s council does not have a history of enacting labor standards. The easiest response would have been to follow the course advocated by the Chamber of Commerce: study the issue and postpone action, perhaps indefinitely. But the process developed by the council and the Seattle Coalition for a Healthy Workforce enabled council members to reach near consensus over the summer despite controversy.

On the coalition side, key factors were:

• building a diverse coalition capable of mobilizing widespread public participation;
• bringing in small business partners early and co-drafting policy with them;
• empowering workers, health experts, and small business owners as spokespeople;
• maintaining consistent messages focused on public health and family economic security.

The council’s process included:

• independent staff research on public health and experience following passage of San Francisco’s ordinance;
• a time-limited stakeholder process including a range of worker and business representatives to air specific policy issues;
• listening to many diverse perspectives.

The result: Seattle has adopted the strongest and most comprehensive ordinance to date to pass through the wringer of a legislative process.

In these tough economic times, promoting healthy workers, family economic security, and productive businesses is more important than ever. It’s time to recognize that attracting and retaining healthy employees is critical to attracting and retaining businesses.

Seattle’s victory can be repeated. Active campaigns for paid sick days are underway in Denver, Philadelphia, New York City, Massachusetts and elsewhere. We applaud these efforts and look forward to the day when no one in the United States has to choose between health or economic security.

[Pictured in photo: From L to R (front): Marilyn Watkins, EOI; Makini Howell, Plum Bistro; Jean Godden, Seattle City Councilmember; Tasha West-Baker, grocery worker; Nick Licata, Seattle City Councilmember; Robby Stern, PSARA; Gabriela Quintana, EOI.]

Over 100 local organizations and small businesses endorsed the paid sick days proposal, and thousands of Seattle workers called, emailed and turned out in support – a groundswell of support that eventually led to passage by the City Council on September 12th by an 8-1 vote.

“This is a major victory for everyone who works, shops and eats in the City of Seattle,” said Marilyn Watkins, spokesperson for the Seattle Coalition for a Healthy Workforce. “By allowing people to stay at home to care for themselves or a sick family member we help prevent the spread of disease and begin rebuilding family economic security and a healthy economy. Seattle’s leadership will fuel momentum for enacting paid sick days throughout the nation.”

The coalition applauded Council members Nick Licata and Tim Burgess in particular for their leadership in forging consensus among their colleagues for a strong ordinance that will protect workers, safeguard public health and support healthy businesses.

For his part, Licata credited the Seattle Coalition for a Healthy Workforce for moving the issue forward: “I chose to sponsor this bill, not only because it was the right thing to do, but because I believed that this was a coalition that would get the job done. A robust coalition of workers, employers, health care professionals, moms, and social justice activists is a coalition that just can’t be beat!”

The bill signing took place at Plum Bistro Restaurant, owned by Makini Howell, one of the first small business owners to support the proposed ordinance. “Over the last year, I joined with a group of small business owners to work alongside with public health professionals, labor unions, community groups, and elected leaders to craft this law. By collaborating and working together, we produced a law that protects the health of our customers, increases the economic security of employees, provides flexibility for small businesses, and strengthens the economy,” said Howell.

Seattle joins San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and the state of Connecticut in establishing a minimum paid sick days standard. Voters in Denver will consider a paid sick days ballot measure this November, and active campaigns are underway in other cities and states.

More than 75 organizations comprise the Seattle Coalition for a Healthy Workforce, whose leadership includes Economic Opportunity Institute, MomsRising, Puget Sound Sage, UFCW 21, Legal Voice, Washington CAN, Puget Sound Association for Retired Americans, M.L. King County Labor Council, and the Washington State Labor Council.

“We’re proud of the City Council’s vote, and we applaud Council members Nick Licata and Tim Burgess in particular for their leadership in helping pass a strong ordinance that will protect workers, safeguard public health, and support healthy businesses.”

Many local small business leaders helped craft provisions of the final ordinance, including: Makini Howell (Plum Bistro), Jody Hall (Cupcake Royale), Joe Fugere (Tutta Bella), and Dave Meinert (5 Point Cafe), Tim Baker (Linda’s, Oddfellows, King’s Hardware), and Molly Moon Neitzel (Molly Moon’s).

Reflecting broad public support for the measure, Councilmembers received thousands of emails, postcards and phone calls in favor; a recent poll of Seattle voters found 69% supported the legislation passed today.

Councilmembers Nick Licata (sponsor) Jean Godden (cosponsor), Sally Bagshaw, Tim Burgess, Sally Clark, Bruce Harrel, Mike O’Brien and Tom Rasmussen voted in favor of the ordinance; Council President Richard Conlin voted against.

Following Mayor McGinn’s expected signature in the coming weeks, Seattle will be the 3rd city in the nation with a minimum paid sick days standard, after Washington DC and San Francisco. The state of Connecticut passed a paid sick days bill in June, and voters in Denver will consider a paid sick days ballot measure this fall.

A recent report by the Economic Opportunity Institute estimated that nearly 190,000 people working in Seattle do not earn paid sick days – negatively impacting business productivity, children’s academic performance, and public health.

Marilyn Watkins, author of the report and spokesperson for the Coalition, testified at today’s Council meeting before the vote: “This ordinance will make Seattle a national leader in setting standards to help change our culture to respect and enable each one of us to take responsibility for our own health, our family’s health, and public health.”

More than 75 organizations comprise the Seattle Coalition for a Healthy Workforce, whose leadership includes Economic Opportunity Institute, MomsRising, Puget Sound Sage, UFCW 21, Legal Voice, Washington CAN, Puget Sound Association for Retired Americans, MLK Labor Council, and the Washington State Labor Council.