When the Minnesota legislature debated a bill for paid sick leave last year, business owners argued that such a law would not allow them to offer as many “benefits” to staff or be as “adaptive” to painters’ desires as they claim without such leaving a prerequisite. But a dozen witnesses defended the need, and many employees shared examples of the many times they had to work when they were in poor health.
Maria Vazquez, a member of a labor organization in Minneapolis, told lawmakers that she sometimes felt too ill to perform her job as a housekeeper, but she couldn’t stop running.
“That’s why I showed up to work, not just with a high fever, but to the point where my legs can help me a little bit and other people were asking me why you were working and there wasn’t really a selection without the national team. and protection time,” Vazquez said.
After all, the earned sick and safe leave bill passed and the law went into effect this month. Another bill offering paid family leave and medical leave also passed last year, but it will take effect in January 2026. Minnesota joins 14 other states and the District of Columbia now requiring paid sick leave. Meanwhile, thirteen states and D. C. will offer paid family leave and medical leave, allowing for longer time off, according to KFF. Washington, which has had a paid sick leave law since 2018, has updated its law to cover accrual of sick leave for structure employees, to account for the fact that those employees could have multiple employers in a short period of time. The adjustments took effect on January 1. California staff recently won an increase in the number of paid sick days that employers will have to provide, from three to five days. In July, Chicagoans will be able to get five sick days. days every year.
The political push for paid sick leave continues in other states this year, and political experts say that push may eventually force the federal government to pass federal law as more people recognize the economic price of paid sick leave.
Advocates for paid sick leave in Alaska, Nebraska and Missouri are pushing ballot projects this year. The organization Paid Sick Leave for Nebraskans needs full-time staff to get a minimum of five to seven days of paid sick leave and other staff to get paid for sick leave. Missouris for Healthy Families and Fair Wages has introduced a crusade for paid ill health leave and a minimum wage that will accrue in this year’s elections in their state. The amount of paid sick leave for staff would be adjusted to their hours and their employer’s duration.
Policymakers and economists argue that the lack of paid leave for poor physical fitness, which tends to affect the most economically volatile workers, forces them to decide between monetary stability and their own well-being, as well as the fitness of their families and colleagues. .
The challenge is urgent this month as respiratory viruses multiply. According to the Centers for Disease Control’s Jan. 5 update on respiratory virus activity, including influenza, RSV and COVID-19, visits to emergency branches are “high across all age groups. ” age”. and increasing, with the exception of school-age children. Wastewater levels indicating infections are 27% higher. Hospitals are reporting an increase in cases of COVID-19, flu and RSV, joining Michigan, Ohio, Maryland and New Jersey.
Molly Weston Williamson, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress’s Women’s Initiative, said the COVID-19 pandemic has played a role in the policy debate over paid health leave.
“The pandemic has put a new spotlight on the need for paid leave for lack of fitness, highlighting the critical fitness issues of the public as well as the economic and human costs of the prestige quo, a need that has only been underscored through union actions such as “This has led to increased political attention, from COVID-related transitional paid leave at the federal level in 2020 to new and expanded state and local protections. “
For those working conditions, some Democrats and hard-work rights advocates are advocating for the passage of legislation like the federal Healthy Families Act, which would grant a national right to protected leave from work and provide a way to calculate poor health care wages. and the Family Law, which provides for paid benefits in the area of family and medical leave. (The Family Medical Leave Act, or FMLA, passed by Congress in 1993 despite opposition from the business community, requires employers for a certain period to offer only unpaid family leave. )
A bipartisan House task force on family leave has released a framework for paid leave legislative options, such as public-private partnerships for state-run systems and tax credits for paid family members and medical leave. included in those options.
In the past, Republicans at the federal level have disagreed with Democrats on how much to provide for family members and medical leave and how to fund it.
Sherry Leiwant, co-chair and co-founder of A Better Balance, said the released framework is a step toward advancing more worker-friendly policies in Congress.
“Maybe Republicans are starting to recognize that this is vital for the people. “
And with more states passing laws on paid sick time, Leiwant said businesses may be realizing that they need more consistency, especially if they operate across state lines.
The need for paid sick leave to help stabilize employees’ finances emerges from the data, according to an Economic Policy Institute report released in November. Compared to 63 percent of private-sector workers paid for poor health in 2010, 78 percent do now, and over the same period, the percentage of lower-paid staff who paid sick leave has nearly doubled, the think tank found. The report’s authors also calculated how much staff would give up housing, groceries, transportation, and other essentials for their unpaid days on days of ill health.
“If we think about taking off work without any assets or savings, that could have a very big impact on the family budget,” said Hilary Wething, an economist at the Economic Policy Institute, and one of the report’s authors. “If a worker loses wages for taking off five days for example, if they have RSV or their kid has RSV that could be their entire grocery budget for the month. If they take three days off, it could be the entire monthly budget of utilities and two days could be a monthly budget of gas, which could make it difficult to get to work. You can see how a series of events could cascade for them and become a much bigger problem than it had to be.”
State Republican lawmakers and business groups have often argued that paid family leave and paid sick time is a burden on businesses and may reduce workers’ benefits. But Wething said such arguments against paid sick time are not supported by the available research and that the stability in both the health and finances of workers could also benefit employers.
“If we have a more skilled workforce, we have a more productive workforce and we want each and every worker who is in poor physical condition to be able to decrease business productivity,” he said. “I think a federal mandate to allow more people to get paid on sick leave, necessarily by reducing the number of people who go to work when they’re out of shape, will have an effect on the economy as a whole from a public health perspective, which will be wonderful for employers.
Williamson, of the Center for American Progress, said it’s time for the federal government to be informed of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and pass the Healthy Families Act.
“We know that paid sick leave works for workers, businesses and the health of our communities,” he said. “And yet, as we move forward four years after a fatal pandemic hit our shores, at the federal level, the US still does not guarantee a single day of paid leave in the event of poor physical fitness. “
by Casey Quinlan, Kansas Reflector January 13, 2024
When the Minnesota legislature debated a bill for paid sick leave last year, business owners argued that such a law would not allow them to offer as many “benefits” to staff or be as “adaptive” to painters’ desires as they claim without such leaving a prerequisite. But a dozen witnesses defended the need, and many employees shared examples of the many times they had to work when they were in poor health.
Maria Vazquez, a member of a hard-working organization in Minneapolis, told lawmakers that she sometimes felt too ill to perform her duties as a housekeeper, but she couldn’t stop running.
“And so there have been many times I have presented to work, not only with a high fever but to the point where my legs could barely support me and people would ask me why are you working and there wasn’t really a choice without the sick and safe time,” Vazquez said.
The earned sick and safe leave bill was passed nonetheless, and the law went into effect this month. Another bill offering paid family and medical leave was also passed last year, but it will go into effect in January 2026. Minnesota joins 14 other states and the District of Columbia that now require paid days for ill health. Meanwhile, thirteen states and D. C. will offer paid family members and medical leave, which allow for longer leave, according to KFF. Washington, which has had a paid sick leave law since 2018, updated its law to cover the backlog of ill health leave for structure staff to account for the fact that those staff could have multiple employers for a short period. These adjustments went into effect on January 1. California workers recently won an increase in the number of paid days for health issues that employers will have to provide, from three days to five. This July, Chicagoans will be eligible to receive five days of ill health each year.
The political push for paid sick leave continues in other states this year, and political experts say that push may eventually force the federal government to pass federal law as more people recognize the economic price of paid sick leave.
Advocates for paid sick leave in Alaska, Nebraska and Missouri are pushing ballot projects this year. The organization Paid Sick Leave for Nebraskans needs full-time staff to get a minimum of five to seven days of paid sick leave and other staff to get paid for sick leave. Missouris for Healthy Families and Fair Wages has introduced a crusade for paid ill health leave and a minimum wage that will accrue in this year’s elections in their state. The amount of paid sick leave for staff would be adjusted to their hours and their employer’s duration.
Policy advocates and economists say a lack of paid sick leave, which tends to impact the most economically unstable workers, forces workers to choose between financial stability and their own wellness as well as the health of their family and coworkers.
The issue is particularly pressing this month as respiratory viruses are surging. According to the Centers for Disease Control’s Jan. 5 update on respiratory virus activity, which includes the flu, RSV, and COVID-19, shows that visits to the emergency department are “elevated in all age groups” and rising, with the exception of school-aged children. Wastewater levels indicating infections are 27% higher. Hospitals are reporting a rise in COVID-19, flu, and RSV cases, including in Michigan, Ohio, Maryland, and New Jersey.
Molly Weston Williamson, senior research fellow at the Center for American Progress’s Women’s Initiative, said the COVID-19 pandemic has played a role in the policy debate over paid sick leave.
“The pandemic placed a new level of attention on the need for paid sick leave, driving home the critical public health stakes as well as the economic and human costs of the status quo — a need only underscored by union action like the rail workers’ fight for paid sick leave,” she said. “That led to increased policy attention, from temporary COVID paid leave at the federal level in 2020 to new and expanded state and local protections.”
For those career conditions, some Democrats and hard-work rights advocates are advocating for the passage of legislation like the federal Healthy Families Act, which would grant a national right to take leave with protected employment and provide a way to calculate poor health care wages. and the Family Law, which provides for paid benefits in the area of family and medical leave. (The Family Medical Leave Act, or FMLA, passed by Congress in 1993 despite opposition from the business community, requires employers of a certain time to offer only unpaid family leave. )
A bipartisan House task force on family leave has released a framework for paid leave legislative options, such as public-private partnerships for state-run systems and tax credits for paid family members and medical leave. included in those options.
In the past, Republicans on the federal level have disagreed with Democrats over how broadly to provide family and medical leave and how to fund that leave.
Sherry Leiwant, co-chair and co-founder of A Better Balance, said the released framework is a step toward advancing more worker-friendly policies in Congress.
“Maybe Republicans are starting to recognize that this is vital for the people. “
And with more states passing laws on paid sick time, Leiwant said businesses may be realizing that they need more consistency, especially if they operate across state lines.
The need for paid sick days to help stabilize workers’ finances is clear through the data, according to an Economic Policy Institute report released in November. Compared to 63% of private sector workers having access to paid sick days in 2010, 78% now do and during the same period, the percentage of the lowest wage workers who had paid sick days almost doubled, the think tank found. The report’s authors also calculated what workers would be giving up in housing, groceries, transportation, and other essentials for their unpaid sick days.
“If we’re looking to avoid running without assets or savings, it could have a very big effect on the household budget,” said Hilary Wething, an economist at the Economic Policy Institute and one of the report’s researchers. authors. ” If an employee loses their pay for taking five days off, for example, if they have RSV or their child has RSV, that may be their entire grocery budget for the month. If you take 3 days off, you may only be the total application budget per month and two days may be just one fuel budget per month, which can make it difficult to access work. You can see how a number of occasions can affect them and become a much bigger challenge. wants to be.
Republican state lawmakers and business teams have argued that paid family leave and paid leave for poor fitness is a burden on businesses and can reduce the benefits employees get. But Wething said such arguments against paid leave for poor fitness are not supported by being educated and that the stability of employees’ physical and financial fitness can also benefit employers.
“If we have a more skilled workforce, we have a more productive workforce and we want each and every worker who is in poor physical condition to be able to decrease business productivity,” he said. “I believe that a federal mandate that allows more people to receive sick leave payments, necessarily by reducing the number of other people who come to work in poor condition, will have an effect on the economy as a whole from a public health perspective, which will be wonderful for employers.
Williamson of the Center for American Progress, said it’s about time that the federal government learned from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and passed the Healthy Families Act.
“We know that paid sick leave works for workers, businesses and the health of our communities,” he said. “And yet, as we approach four years since a deadly pandemic hit our shores, at the federal level, the United States still does not guarantee a single day of paid leave for poor fitness. »
Kansas Reflector is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Kansas Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Sherman Smith for questions: [email protected]. Follow Kansas Reflector on Facebook and Twitter.
Casey Quinlan is a business reporter for States Newsroom in Washington, D. C. Over the past decade, they have covered national and state politics, LGBTQ rights, abortion access, hard-work issues, education, Supreme Court news, and much more for publications such as The American Independent, ThinkProgress, New Republic, Rewire News, SCOTUSblog, In These Times, and Vox.
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