Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces

Business Leaders Make the Case for Paid Sick Days

2012-02-03T14:02:00.000-05:00

From our friends at Family Values @ Work.

Leaders in the small business community are increasingly voicing their support for paid sick days. A new brochure captures their voices making the case for this measure as a way to keep down costs, retain employees, and strengthen the economy.

“We don’t see a conflict between doing the right thing and earning a profit,” said Rob Everts, co-president and CEO of Equal Exchange, a fair trade provider of coffee and other products, based in West Bridgewater, Massachusetts. “We value our workers for the skills that they bring and at the same time recognize that they are human beings with human needs.”

Dewetta Logan, director and Owner of Smart Beginnings Early Learning Center in Philadelphia, says implementing paid sick days at her center “helped build a partnership of trust between employee and employer.” Logan also believes that businesses like hers have a moral obligation to treat their workers humanely. “I believe having time off when you’re sick is a right – not something a worker should have to beg for.”

The fight against paid sick days is led by lobbyists for trade associations dominated by big national chains. “They disguise themselves as mom and pop shops. But they don’t speak for me,” said Freddy Castiblanco, owner of Terraza 7 Live Music, a cafe and music venue in Elmhurst, NY.

The brochure, titled, “How Your Business Can Benefit from Paid Sick Days,” is made available by Family Values @ Work Consortium and the Main Street Alliance and can be accessed here.

Restaurant Workers Need Paid Sick Days: It’s Good for the Public, Good for Business, and Good for the Workers

2012-01-31T11:03:00.000-05:00

With over 85% of workers in restaurants lacking paid sick days, many are forced to come to work sick rather than loose their pay or possibly their job. When eating at a restaurant your plate comes into contact with person at least 4 times giving germs and illness numerous opportunities to be spread from a sick worker to the general public. Restaurant workers need paid sick days to ensure the health of the public at large.

As a result of the fact that workers cannot afford to take care of themselves or stay home when they are sick, two-thirds of restaurant workers (63.6%) report working sick, unnecessarily placing co-workers and diners at risk. 19.9% have reported that they caused other workers to become sick and 12% have coughed or sneezed into food that was served because they worked while sick.
Nearly half of stomach “flu”-related outbreaks caused by the norovirus are linked to ill food-service workers —and they are among the least likely to have earned sick time.

“Illness runs in cycles at restaurants. At all times someone is sick because we cannot take time to stay home to get better. Despite our best efforts to wash our hands and sanitize the restaurant when you are sick you cannot help but spread germs. I cannot imagine what germs and illnesses customers go home with.” – Philadelphia server

The Restaurant Industry is one that sees extremely high turnover. In addition, a worker will be less productive and the customer will likely have a less enjoyable experience is the worker is sick. Paid sick days can save the restaurant owner money through reduced turnover, increased loyalty, and a better overall experience for the customer.

If workers could earn seven paid sick days a year, our national economy would experience a net savings of $8.1 billion a year due to increased productivity and reduced turnover.
The costs of replacing workers, including advertising open positions, interviewing, and training replacements, are often greater than the costs of paid sick time to retain existing workers.
24% of restaurant workers have reported that they could not complete tasks for work because they were sick.

Paid sick days "is the best public policy for the least cost.”
Kevin Westlye, Executive Director of the Golden Gate Restaurant Association

In Philadelphia tipped restaurant workers are paid $2.83 and hour and the median overall take home pay is $11.40 an hour. So many are struggling to make ends meet and the thought of missing work because they are sick and possibly losing their job is not an option. In addition to being good for public health and restaurants, paid sick days is about basic fairness for workers.

The Restaurant Industry is one of the largest private sector employers in the nation with 10 million employees nationwide. Despite the current recession, the Restaurant Industry continues to grow yet the workers are not afforded basic rights like paid sick days
A majority of restaurant workers surveyed reported facing high rates of exposure to dangerous working conditions: 38.1% reported doing something while working to put their own safety at risk, 49.5% had been cut on the job, and 45.8% had been burned on the job.
In addition, 34.6% of restaurant worker have reported having to do things under time pressure that might have harmed the health and safety of the consumer.

Philadelphia is a city with a strong restaurant industry. Despite the growing industry, restaurant workers continue to lack basic needs like paid sick days, putting their own health and the health of the entire city at risk. Paid sick days would help to keep the community healthy while giving restaurant workers some flexibility to care for themselves and family members and help businesses by boosting worker loyalty and reducing turnover.

For more information about the needs of Restaurant Workers in Philadelphia visit the Restaurant Opportunities Center of Philadelphia.

Stomach Turning Information on the Norovirus – Just Another Reason Everyone Needs Paid Sick Days

2012-01-20T09:30:00.001-05:00

The information below comes from Boston’s NPR show Common Health: Reform and Reality.

Large cities like Boston and New York have seen an increase in people coming to the Emergency Room complaining of vomiting and diarrhea, most likely the cost of the norovirus or stomach flu. With more people going to parties and eating out during the holidays an increase is not something entirely new, but looking at the norovirus knowing that over 40% of workers do not have paid sick days and a majority of cases come from ill food service workers makes you think twice about eating out.

According to the Center for Disease Control, there are over 20 million cases of the norovirus. Below is a timeline of how norovirus plays out:

As shown by the chart above, the norovirus is highly contagious for days and somewhat contagious for weeks. Anyone without paid sick days will likely not be able to stay home not just to recover but to ensure others do not become sick. With over 80% of food service workers not having paid sick days and 1 in 15 Americans contracting the norovirus, providing paid sick days will prevent restaurant and other businesses from having customers infected and possibly have to close due to an outbreak.
In 2008, when a worker at a restaurant in Kent, Ohio had no choice but to work while sick with the norovirus, over 500 people become violently ill. The outbreak cost the Kent community between $130,233 and $305,337.

Workers need paid sick days, not only to keep themselves healthy but also to keep the community healthy.

New York City Paid Sick Days Coalition Relaunches Campaign

2012-01-18T15:55:00.001-05:00

Like many Philadelphians, a million and a half working New Yorkers have no paid sick time to care for themselves or sick children. Earlier today, the New York City Paid Sick Days Coalition held a rally at City Hall to relaunch the paid sick time campaign. The coalition is larger, stronger, and more determined than ever to pass the NYC Paid Sick Time Act in 2012!

To learn more about the event follow @ABetterBalance on Twitter as they live tweeted from the event.

We would like to congratulate the New York Paid Sick Days Coalition on a great event and wish them good luck! Like the New York Coalition, we will be working to again pass a paid sick days bill in Philadelphia. Check back for details on ways you can help.

Paid Sick Days: Recapping 2011 and Looking Forward to 2012

2012-01-05T14:28:00.001-05:00

2011 was a banner year for paid sick days throughout the country.

The state of Connecticut became the first US state to pass a paid sick days measure ensuring that workers who are ill can earn sick days to care for themselves and their family members. This bill took effect January 1, 2012.
The city of Seattle, Washington, also passed a bill providing workers in the city with the opportunity to earn sick days. This bill goes into effect on September 1, 2012.
Here in Philadelphia, two bills passed City Council regarding paid sick days. The first, vetoed by Mayor Nutter, would have provided workers with the opportunity to earn sick days in the city of Philadelphia. The second bill, which will go into effect on July 1, 2012, ensures workers covered by the city's living wage ordinance have access to paid sick days.

In 2012, according to Family Values @ Work, a national network of state and local coalitions helping spur the growing movement for family-friendly workplace policies, 16 cities and states will be active in paid family leave or paid sick days campaigns. Philadelphia plans to lead the way by reintroducing a bill on paid sick days in City Council in early 2012.

Please help us kick off another great year by joining us for a Happy Hour at El Fuego on January 10, 2012. El Fuego is a business that provides their workers with the opportunity to earn paid sick days. They have been designated by the Restaurant Opportunities Center as a high road employer. Help us support a business that supports their workers!

You can RSVP below:

Paid Sick Days Happy Hour
Tuesday, January 10
5PM - 7PM
El Fuego
723 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA

A Victory for Workers in Philadelphia

2011-11-21T14:38:00.000-05:00

Last week Philadelphia’s City Council passed the Gratuity Protection Bill that makes the deduction of credit card fees from tips left by customers illegal. Councilman Kenney, a former restaurant worker, was the sponsor of this bill.

This bill will impact all workers that are paid in tips including those that work in restaurant, salons, and drive taxi cabs. It has been common practice for employers to take any credit card fees out of an employee’s tips. Tipped workers are generally low wage workers struggling to make ends meet. For example, the majority of restaurant workers have an average wage of only $14,000 per year and a minimum tipped wage of only $2.83 per hour. Every dollar makes a difference and getting to keep all the money they earn now will help they are not going hungry or unable to pay their bills.

Watch a video of one restaurant workers discussing why this bill is important.

Employers who violate the Gratuity-Protection Law will have to repay workers any portion of the tip that was taken and can be fined $2,000 plus court and attorneys fees. The legislation will potentially raise the wages for the estimated 26,000 tipped workers in the Philadelphia area.

Two Coalition partners helped ensure this victory – ROC – Philadelphia and the Taxi Workers Alliance for Pennsylvania. Congratulations to everyone who worked on this bill and we look forward to keeping the momentum going for bills to protect workers as we reintroduce paid sick days in the next year!

Paid Sick Days Lower Healthcare Costs

2011-11-15T12:35:00.001-05:00

From our friends at IWPR

Paid Sick Days and Health: Cost Savings from Reduced Emergency Department Visits finds that universal access to paid sick days would save $1 billion annually. Currently, the United States spends approximately $47 billion annually on emergency department services and 44 million Americans lack access to paid sick days.

Cost savings would be realized by shifting the treatment of some preventable illnesses from emergency departments to less expensive doctor's offices, clinics, and hospital outpatient settings. Currently, approximately $500 million of these preventable costs are covered by taxpayer-funded public health care for children, elders, veterans and low-income families, including Medicare, Medicaid, the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), and Veterans Affairs services. The remainder of preventable emergency department costs are accrued to individuals who pay out of pocket for health care and to insurance companies and their customers.

After controlling for various characteristics, including health insurance status, IWPR's analyses reveal that paid sick days are associated with better self-reported health, fewer delays in medical care, and fewer emergency department visits for adults and their children.

Young Adults Struggle with Lack of Paid Sick Days

2011-11-08T09:44:00.000-05:00

During the health reform debate there was a lot of talk about the need for young adults to have access to their parent’s insurance because many found insurance too expensive and went without. Because illness can strike anyone, even the young, Congress extended the age that a child can be on their parent’s insurance until 26.

While this is a great accomplishment, if young adults cannot use their insurance because they cannot take off of work to see a doctor or get the care they need, then they will still find themselves facing chronic issues that could have been easily treated or resorting to the emergency room for non-emergencies.

A new report, The State of Young America, shows that young adults have little access to paid time away from work to use to recover from illness and care for a sick family member. A survey of young adults, ages 18 to 34, shows that fewer than 3 in 10 reported having paid sick days they can use for themselves, a child, and an immediate family member. Fewer than 1 in 4 women and fewer than 1 in 6 Latinos said they have this basic right.

Young Americans face very tough times ahead. Unemployment and underemployment are rising, the cost of living and student debt are increasing, and wages are declining. Missing even just one day of work can mean the difference between paying bills and putting food on the table.

Worker and family friendly policies like paid sick days are necessary for the economic security of all Americans because no matter someone’s age, everyone can get sick and everyone deserves the time to get better.

Get Out the Vote!

2011-11-08T09:34:00.001-05:00

Crossposted from the PathWays PA Policy Blog.

Today is Election Day, and a chance for your voice to be heard on the issues that matter to you. Please vote today so that our families, friends, and workforce can have more opportunities to succeed tomorrow!

Below is some information on voting that might be helpful for those of you who live in Pennsylvania.

If you are registered in a state other than Pennsylvania, please visit http://www.smartvoter.org/ to find your polling place, determine if you are registered, and to answer other questions.

Who is running for office today?

In Pennsylvania, we are electing elect members of local government, such as mayors, council people, township supervisors and district judges. To see exactly who will be on your ballot, visit http://www.smartvoter.org/pa/state/ and type in your information.

Do I have to register to vote?

In Pennsylvania, voters must be registered 30 days prior to each election. If you are not sure if you are registered, you can confirm your registration status in the Pennsylvania voter registration database.

If you are not registered to vote in today's election, fill out a voter registration form now so you will be ready for the next one!

Where is my polling place?

The Pennsylvania Department of State offers an online guide to help find your polling place on their website.

How do I use the voting system at my polling place?

Different counties use different types of polling systems. Visit Votespa.com to see the type of voting system you will use and to watch a demonstration of how it works.

What should I bring with me to the polls?

If you are a first-time voter or if you are voting at a new polling place, you should bring an approved form of identification. To see all approved forms, visit the PA Department of State voting website.

All voters may bring a list of candidates on the ballot and who they plan to vote for and/or a list of key issues or specific proposals that are on the ballot. The Department of State's Election Assistant gives you the opportunity to print a one-page sheet listing your polling place and items to bring (or not to bring) to the polls.

What are my rights as a voter?

To see your voting rights, visit the Committee of Seventy website for voting rights guides in several languages. The PA Department of State also has helpful information for older voters, voters with disabilities, and voters who have been convicted of a crime.

What if I have questions or problems on Election Day?

If you have questions or problems on Election Day, please call the Election Protection Hotline at 1-866-OUR-VOTE.

Remember, if you are registered in a state other than Pennsylvania, please visit http://www.smartvoter.org/ to find your polling place and to answer other questions.

PSD for City Contractors and Subsidy Recipients is Law in Philadelphia!

2011-10-27T13:59:00.000-04:00

Great news! The paid sick days amendment to Philadelphia's 21st Century Minimum Wage and Benefits Ordinance, which passed 15-2 on October 13, became law today. This bill, which will go into effect on July 1, 2011, will ensure that covered employers shall provide to each full-time, non-temporary, non-seasonal covered employee at least the number of earned sick leave days that the employer would have been required to provide to such employees if the provisions of Bill No. 080474-AA, as passed by Council on June 16, 2011, had been enacted into law rather than vetoed by the Mayor.

The employers described below are considered "covered employers":

The City of Philadelphia, including all its agencies, departments and offices.
For-profit Service Contractors, which receive or are subcontractors on contract(s) for $10,000 or more from the City in a twelve-month period, with annual gross receipts of more than $1,000,000.
Non-profit Service Contractors which receive or are subcontractors on contract(s) from the City of more than $100,000 in a twelve-month period.
Recipients of City leases, concessions, or franchises, or subcontractors thereof, which employ more than twenty-five (25) employees.
City financial aid recipients. Compliance shall be required for a period of five (5) years following receipt of aid.
Public agencies which receive contract(s) for $10,000 or more from the City in a twelve-month period.

The Philadelphia Living Wage and Benefits Law already requires those City-supported employers to pay at least 150% of the federal minimum wage to its employees. It also mandates that if the employer provides healthcare benefits to any of its employees, the employer shall provide each full-time employee healthcare benefits at least as valuable as the basic healthcare benefits that are provided to the employer's other full-time employees. There is an exemption for small businesses.

The Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces would like to thank Councilman Goode, who was the main sponsor of the bill, as well as to the other 8 cosponsors and the members who voted for this bill on October 13.

Denver Paid Sick Days Would Promote Children’s School Success

2011-10-26T15:07:00.000-04:00

From our friends at IWPR:

Paid sick days for working parents can enhance children’s school success. Parents face a difficult choice if their children get sick when they lack paid sick days: staying home with the child and missing pay (and possibly facing discipline at work); sending the child to school sick, which compromises their school performance and spreads illness to others; leaving the child at home alone, putting the child at risk; leaving the child with an older sibling who in turn must stay home from school; or trusting the child to a temporary caregiver. Each of these scenarios has potential costs for schools or for child well-being. The negative effects of inadequate sick days coverage disproportionately affect people of color and low-income adults in Denver, because they are less likely than other Denver residents to be able to earn paid sick days. This paper by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) addresses how children's school success can be improved when working parents have access to paid sick days by reviewing published research, Denver Public Schools data, and information provided in interviews and surveys of Denver Public Schools personnel.

Take the Inquirer's Poll on Sick Days!

2011-10-19T10:08:00.001-04:00

If you have a minute, please visit The Philadelphia Inquirer's website to take a poll on paid sick days and how they will affect the city under legislation passed last week to attach paid sick days to the living wage. If you want to know more about the law, please read the articles below.

Tell Mayor Nutter How You Feel About Sick Days

2011-10-17T07:34:00.000-04:00

On October 13, City Council members passed a bill introduced by Councilman Wilson Goode, Jr., that amends the 21st Century Minimum Wage and Benefits Act to ensure all workers whose employers contract with the city or receive public subsidies can earn paid sick days. This bill ensures that city tax dollars only fund jobs that support public health, families, and the community.

The bill now goes to the Mayor's desk, and he needs to hear from you!

Please take a moment to send a letter to the Mayor telling him your feelings about paid sick days.

Public Comment in Support of the Earned Sick Days Amendment to the Living Wage Bill in Philadelphia

2011-10-14T10:20:00.001-04:00

The Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces would like to thank all of our members for their support, especially those who came out to City Council yesterday to help ensure passage of the Earned Sick Days Amendment to Philadelphia's Living Wage Bill.

Below are videos of the public comment given by supporters. Thank you to all of you who stood up to share your story or speak about the importance of the bill.

Kathy Black - Philadelphia Chapter of the Coalition for Labor Union Women

Andrea Lemoins - Philadelphia Restaurant Opportunities Center

Fabricio Rodriguez - Philadelphia Security Officers Union

Andre Butler - Philadelphia Unemployment Project

Another Victory for Working Families in Philadelphia: Paid Sick Days Amendment to 21st Century Minimum Wage and Benefits Standard Passes City Council 15-2, Awaits Mayor's Signature

2011-10-13T20:00:00.000-04:00

With this bill, Philadelphia becomes the first city in the country to make paid sick days part of their living wage ordinance

Philadelphia, PA - When a loved one becomes ill, are you forced to choose between caring for them or losing a paycheck, or even your job? People without paid sick days at their jobs often face these impossible choices -- between the work they need and the families they love. Today, Philadelphia's City Council took a step towards giving Philadelphia workers a new choice: the opportunity to earn sick days.

Full-time workers at companies who contract with the city or who receive city subsidies will now be eligible to earn up to seven paid sick days each year under a bill introduced by Councilman W. Wilson Goode, Jr., and passed by City Council today. Bill 110557, an ordinance ensuring that all employers who fall under the 21st Century Minimum Wage and Benefits Standard must provide sick days to their full time workers, passed with a vote of 15-2. It now awaits the Mayor's signature.

"The health and livelihoods of all Philadelphians are compromised when working people are forced to go to their jobs when they're sick," said Marianne Bellesorte, Senior Director of Policy at PathWays PA. "City Council took an important step today by ensuring that city tax dollars only fund jobs that support public health, families, and the community."

Studies in other cities show that both businesses and employees benefit from earned sick days policies. Businesses save money from higher productivity and lower turnover, and workers use paid sick leave responsibly and often do not use all of the time offered to them. A study of San Francisco's paid sick days law shows many business concerns about job loss were unfounded, with six in seven employers saying that paid sick days have had no negative effect on profitability and two-thirds of employers surveyed supporting the law.

"Earned sick days are good for business and good for working families," said Rebecca Foley, Director of Public Policy at WOMEN'S WAY. "This bill is the next step to making sure that all Philadelphians have access to paid sick days."

In June 2011, City Council passed a bill that would give all Philadelphia workers an opportunity to earn paid sick days at work. Mayor Nutter vetoed that bill at the Chamber of Commerce. A similar bill will be introduced next year.

STATEMENT OF ELLEN BRAVO, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, FAMILY VALUES @ WORK

"National momentum for paid sick days continues to grow as elected leaders in yet another city voted today to help working people squeezed by the economy. Philadelphia joins Connecticut and Seattle in voting this year to enact this common sense reform that will boost public health and strengthen families and the economy both.

"The Philadelphia law is a simple change that will have a major positive impact on the lives of thousands of families. Paid sick days will support economic recovery by helping people keep their jobs. Paid sick days are good for workers and their families, good for businesses and, with flu season approaching, good for the public health. We look forward to continued progress in Philadelphia this January when the new City Council will take up comprehensive paid sick days legislation that covers more workers.

"With Denver residents voting now for a paid sick days ballot initiative and with diverse grassroots coalitions backing active legislation in New York City, Massachusetts and many other places, this is a movement that continues to grow."

Paid Sick Days Amendment Passed City Council!

2011-10-13T15:21:00.000-04:00

Today Philadelphia City Council voted 15 to 2 to add paid sick days to the 21st Century Minimum Wage and Benefits Standard. Workers that are employed by businesses that receive money from the city will now be able to earn paid sick days.

Thank you to Councilman Goode and all members of Council who voted for this important bill. Watch the vote take place and amazing remarks from Councilman Goode in the video below.

New Article in the Philadelphia Inquirer: "Leave rules in city enough to make advocates sick"

2011-10-07T14:35:00.000-04:00

This story was only available in the print edition of the Inquirer.

Out of Committee and On To A Vote!

2011-10-06T14:31:00.001-04:00

After unanimously passing out of committee, the paid sick days amendment to the 21st Century Minimum Wage and Benefits Act is set for final passage next week. If you want to read about yesterday's hearing, please check out these articles:

Hearing Tomorrow on a Paid Sick Days Amendment to the 21st Century Minimum Wage and Benefits Standard

2011-10-04T11:51:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow, members of the Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces will be testifying at a hearing on a bill (No. 110557) that would require certain employers that contract with or receive money from the City of Philadelphia to provide paid sick days to their employees. This bill is an amendment to the 21st Century Minimum Wage and Benefits Standard ordinance which already requires those subject to the ordinance to pay their employees 150% of the minimum wage.

The purpose of the 21st Century Minimum Wage and Benefits Ordinance is to ensure that as many employees as possible with in Philadelphia are able to “live with more dignity and economic self-sufficiency” and to invest in a “better community economic standard.” Providing paid sick days certainly allows employees to live with more dignity as they are not forced to work sick and improves economic self-sufficiency as they have pay and job security.

The Coalition commends Councilman Goode for introducing this amendment and we look forward to supporting this bill as we work to introduce a new paid sick days bill in the coming year that will cover all of Philadelphia’s workers.

If you would like to attend the hearing it will be held tomorrow, October 5th at 10:00AM in Room 400 of City Hall. For more information about the 21st Century Minimum Wage and Benefits Standard and who is subject to it please see our fact sheet.

Contagion: Not Just a Movie

2011-09-16T07:50:00.003-04:00

Have you seen the preview for Contagion – the new blockbuster film about a global flu pandemic?

What’s most frightening about this star-studded film is that flu epidemics are real, and they can spread quickly – especially in the Philadelphia, where over 200,000 hard hard-working people without paid sick days are forced to choose between their financial security and their health when they get sick. During the recent H1N1 outbreak, seven million of the people caught the flu from their co-workers. Less serious flus and colds can also disrupt our lives.

Please take a moment to send this video to City Council so that they can stop the real contagion in Philadelphia.

The Fight Will Continue for Paid Sick Days in Philadelphia

2011-09-15T21:47:00.001-04:00

Today Philadelphia City Council decided not to hold a vote on whether to override Mayor Nutter's veto of the paid sick days bill because we simply did not have the necessary 12 votes. It was the last opportunity for a veto override.

Despite the decision not to hold a vote, Councilman Greenlee and Councilman Clarke both made remarks to Council Session and sent a letter to Council showing their support for paid sick days. Both members spoke of the importance of the bill for the health and well-being of Philadelphia's workers. Councilman Greenlee committed to reintroducing the bill next year.

We would like to thank all of you for supporting paid sick days and the Coalition. We look for to your continued support as we will not give up the fight for paid sick days in Philadelphia.

In the meantime, we will also be supporting Councilman Goode's Living Wage bill which will give those who work for and with the city the opportunity to earn paid sick days. Please stay tuned as we will be sharing information about this bill and of course asking for your help in supporting it. More information about supporting the full paid sick days bill will also be coming soon.

"‘Contagion: Not Just a Movie’ Begins New Front in Earned Sick Days Fight"

2011-09-13T15:19:00.000-04:00

Please check out this article on Philadelphia Weekly's website about the "Contagion" webshort featuring a worker from Philadelphia. Then call City Council at 800-584-6813 and tell them about your support for paid sick days or email the video to Council.

Call 800-584-6813 to Support Paid Sick Days

2011-09-11T22:55:00.000-04:00

While paid sick days passed in Philadelphia in June, the Mayor vetoed it soon after. Right now we have a small window of time to override his veto. City Council will once again have to vote on the bill by Thursday, September 15th.

In order for the override to be possible members of Council need to hear from supporters. The Coalition has created an 800 number that anyone can call to be connected with City Council. Before the call is put through there will be a short message you can listen to for information about what you can say and you will have the option to call one of five members. After you place that call you are welcome to call any of the other Council members as well.

The number is 800-584-6813.

Please make this call today and share the number with others. If you can send it out to your members please do so. City Council spoke for the people of Philadelphia when they passed the paid sick days bill. Don’t let the Mayor silence us with his veto – call City Council today and let them know that Philadelphians want and deserve paid sick days.

Also, we will be at City Council on Thursday, September 15th to show them in person that we want paid sick days. Please come out to City Hall at 9:30 and help us remind them of what the people want. For more information and to register to attend please visit: http://overridetheveto.eventbrite.com/.

Contagion: Not Just a Movie

2011-09-11T21:48:00.005-04:00

Contagion is not just a movie. Watch this video to hear the real stories of five of the 44 million Americans forced to go to work sick because they don’t have paid sick days (including one from Philadelphia).

Please take a minute call City Council and let them know what you think of the need for paid sick days! This is especially important in light of the upcoming override vote of the Mayor's veto. You can reach City Council at 800-584-6813.

San Francisco Employment Growth Remains Stronger with Paid Sick Days Law Than Surrounding Counties

2011-09-01T14:19:00.001-04:00

The Institute on Women’s Policy Research just released an update of a study of San Francisco’s paid sick days ordinance. San Francisco implemented a paid sick days ordinance in February of 2007 that is very similar to the bill passed by Philadelphia’s City Council this spring.

While many fear that businesses will leave Philadelphia if it has a paid sick days law and people will lose their jobs, the data from San Francisco shows that the growth of employment in the city exceeded the growth in surrounding countries that do not have such an ordinance. Cities throughout the country saw a decline in employment due to the recession, but the decline in San Francisco was less than those in the surrounding counties.

It is particularly interesting that the data shows that in jobs with the lowest rates of access to paid sick days, mainly accommodation and food services, the employment growth in San Francisco still exceeded surrounding counties both prior to and during the recession. Despite theories that the business would suffer in San Francisco due to the ordinance, they are weathering the recession better than other counties.

To read a press release from IWPR on this study, please click here.

Let’s Show City Council We Still Need Paid Sick Days!

2011-08-30T15:14:00.000-04:00

It has been a long and somewhat crazy ride for the Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces but we have a great success – Philadelphia’s City Council passed the Earned Sick Days Bill! Our amazing and hard fought victory was unfortunately dashed by the Mayor’s veto of the bill- but that does not mean the fight is over.

Join us to welcome City Council back after their summer recess and show them that we are still fighting for paid sick days for Philadelphia’s workers.

WHAT: Welcome Back City Council

WHEN: September 8th at 9:00

WHERE: Philadelphia City Hall’s 4th Floor Hallway

We will be welcoming City Council back by reminding them that Philadelphia is not only returning to work and school, but, without sick days, they are returning to environments where germs can spread quickly.

Please bring signs and write letters to your members of City Council urging them to remember that Philadelphians need and deserve paid sick days.

The U.S. Department of Labor Women's Bureau invites you to its Women's Economic Security Forum: Promoting Equal Pay, Workplace Flexibility, and Resources for Women Owned Businesses

2011-08-29T11:24:00.000-04:00

The U.S. Department of Labor Women’s Bureau invites you to its Women’s Economic Security Forum: Promoting Equal Pay, Workplace Flexibility, and Resources for Women Owned Businesses

Monday, September 12, 2011
8:00 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Papadakis Integrated Sciences Building at Drexel University (located at the corner of 33rd and Chestnut St.)

The event is free and open to the public.

REGISTER TODAY AT: http://equalpay.eventbrite.com/
Questions? Please contact Rose Holandez at holandez.rose@dol.gov

Participating agencies and organizations: U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, U.S. Small Business Administration, U.S. Department of Labor Office of Federal Contract and Compliance Programs, Drexel University, PathWays PA

Support Businesses That Support Earned Sick Days!

2011-08-19T14:34:00.003-04:00

Do you want to support businesses that provide earned sick days for their workers? Then come join us as we launch a new campaign!

-Free Refreshments!-

In Philadelphia, many businesses already give their workers an opportunity to earn paid sick days to care for themselves and their family members. On August 26, we will begin honoring those businesses by giving them the opportunity to be recognized for their actions.

Please join us at Wired Beans Cafe at 12 noon on August 26, 2011, as we launch a decal campaign giving businesses an opportunity to show how much they want healthy customers and healthy staff. Wired Beans will be the first of many businesses to place our new decal in their window showing their support for paid sick days. We will be encouraging other businesses to come to show their support for sick days, and we will continue distributing these decals throughout the city.

We want to thank every business in Philadelphia who does the right thing for their workers. If your business support earned sick days and would like a decal, please fill out our survey at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/decals.

WHEN: Friday, August 26 at 12 PM
WHERE:Wired Bean Cafe, 6736 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia PA 19119

For more information contact Kate Scully at kscully@pathwayspa.org or 610-543-5022 x 255.

The Most Recent Data on Paid Sick Days

2011-08-12T15:18:00.000-04:00

From our friends at the National Partnership for Women and Families.

In this most recent data, employers report that 63% of private-sector workers have access to paid sick leave (an increase of 1 percentage point from the 2010 data) – which means that more than 37 million workers do not have any paid sick leave. (But recall that, as IWPR’s 2010 analysis shows, there are more workers who have not been on the job long enough to accrue or use sick leave). In the new BLS data, gaps between the lowest- and highest- wage workers continue to be quite dramatic – just 21% of workers in the lowest wage decile (workers earning $8.25 hour or less) have access to paid sick days compared to 87% of workers in the highest wage decile (workers earning $37.89 or more). Only about four in ten of workers in the service industry (43%) have access to paid sick leave.

In These Times: Momentum Builds for Guaranteed Paid Sick Days Legislation

2011-08-02T09:52:00.000-04:00

Below is a blog post from In These Times that shows how momentum is building through out the nation for paid sick days. States and City throughout the country are working on or considering legislation and support for such legislation is growing.

Buoyed by Connecticut's enactment this month of the nation’s first state law guaranteeing paid sick days to most workers, more than 200 organizers for paid family leave and paid sick days pushed for national legislation this week as they gathered in Washington, D.C.

Their movement is picking up steam, despite the obstacles in Congress and in many states to passing any legislation helping workers. The organizers, most linked to either Family Values @ Work or the National Partnership for Women and Families, came from 23 states and the District of Columbia. Though success with federal legislation in this Congress is unlikely, they anticipate passage of paid sick day legislation in the coming months in Seattle, Denver, New York City, and possibly both Massachusetts and, in a weak form, Georgia.

The failure of many employers to provide paid sick days, and the failure of the country, alone among advanced industrial countries, to mandate such protection causes great personal hardship. Torrie Moffett of Milwaukee, for example, lost four jobs in five years because she had to take time off to address school problems of her mentally ill child. None of her employers paid for sick leave or protected workers against dismissal for taking days off for sickness, as much of the new legislation mandates.

New research by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research indicates that even at workplaces with paid sick days, nearly half of workers report that management has policies that could lead to dismissal for taking too many sick days.

To read the complete story please click here.

Economic Security and Paid Sick Days

2011-07-26T10:00:00.000-04:00

From EPI's "The Need for Paid Sick Days"

If you read this blog often, you know the basics on the need for paid sick days:

40 million private sector workers nationally have no access to paid sick days (and over 200,000 here in Philadelphia are in the same boat)
Employees without paid sick days are more likely to work sick, reducing their productivity at a cost to their employers and themselves
Parents without paid sick days are more likely to send children to school while ill, which not only hurts the child in the short-term but also poses risks to long-term health and development

However, a new report from the Economic Policy Institute points out some additional items about economic security and paid sick days that you might not have known. This report uses a common approach to determining what a family needs to make ends meet: 200% of the Federal Poverty Level, or almost $45,000 for a family of four (although research shows families may need even more).

A two-parent, two child household, with both parents working and earning $10/hour, already earns below 200% of the FPL. This household needs to earn $3,639 to make ends meet, but only earns $3,470, even without taking an unpaid sick day. One parent using 3.5 days of unpaid sick time in a month (which could happen easily if just one child got sick) would lose the income equivalent to the family's grocery budget for the entire month.

Single parent households earning $10/hour and caring for two children also earn well below what they need to be economically secure: just $1,735 per month, compared to the $2,891 per month economic security threshold. Missing more than three days of work in a month for this family would put it below the Federal Poverty Level.

As cities, states, and the Federal Government continue to look at the issue of paid sick days, these numbers should be taken into account. Until we have developed a foolproof way to avoid getting sick, we need to make sure that all families can afford getting sick.

Two New Reports on the Need for Paid Sick Days

2011-07-14T16:22:00.001-04:00

Access to Paid Sick Days Would Reduce Health Costs – The Institute for Women’s Policy Research have a forthcoming report showing that giving employees access to paid sick days would reduce the number of visits to hospital emergency rooms. The report estimates that a national paid sick days bill would save $1 billion in medical costs per year. About half of which is currently paid by public insurance programs.

The report concludes that paid sick days is “associated with better self-reported health, fewer delays in medical care, and fewer emergency department visits for adults and their children.”

Rural Workers Have Less Access to Paid Sick Days – According to this new report from the Carsey Institute at the University of New Hampshire, rural workers have significantly less access to paid sick leave than other workers. Among the key findings of the report are that:

A greater proportion of rural workers than urban workers (both suburban and central-city) lack access to at least five paid sick days per year,
Among business-sector workers, rural employees are less likely to have paid sick days than their urban counterparts, and
Rural workers who agree that workers are less likely to advance if they use flexible workplace policies have less access to paid sick days than their urban and suburban counterparts.

Letter to the Editor: Paid sick days are good for workers, employers

2011-07-13T19:01:00.001-04:00

As a small-business owner and the board chairman of Women's Way, one of the leading organizations pushing for earned sick days in Philadelphia, I am deeply disappointed at Mayor Nutter's decision to veto the earned-sick-days bill. Contrary to the mayor's assertion that the bill "would put thousands of jobs at risk," paid sick days would, in fact, benefit employers' bottom lines.

Research shows that employers who offer paid sick days have higher productivity, employee loyalty, and decreased turnover. Studies further show that presenteeism - when an employee comes to work sick - costs employers an average of $255 per employee each year in lost productivity. Moreover, almost 20 business-friendly amendments were added to this legislation as a result of conversations with the business community.

The mayor should have considered the 210,000 mainly low-income workers in Philadelphia who deserve the right to take care of themselves and their loved ones when faced with an unexpected illness without losing a day's pay or their jobs.

Elayne Howard

Board Chair, Women's Way

St. David's

You can also view the letter online by clicking here.

From Philadelphia Weekly: Think Nutter’s Veto Ended the Paid Sick Days Crusade? Think Again.

2011-07-08T13:29:00.000-04:00

In June, after years of hard advocacy on behalf of working groups, City Council passed paid sick leave legislation, that’d give employees of companies with 11 or more up to seven days per year; those with ten or fewer employees, four days. That bill was passed by the slimmest of all margins (9-8) and had been modified a reported 19 times to meet the demands of business lobbyists and the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, both of whom would have preferred no bill at all.

Then, on June 29, Mayor Nutter took out his veto pen.

About a week later, a rally was held at Independence Mall by the Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces as a show of declaring independence from the mayor. Groups say this marked the beginning of a Council override strategy for the fall.

“Now that the veto has happened we will continue to take action throughout the summer to continue to work toward an override,” says Marianne Bellesorte of Pathways PA, a services and advocacy group for women, children and families who participated in the rally.

To read the full article, please visit The Philadelphia Weekly's Blog.

Sign the Declaration of Support for Paid Sick Days and Independence from the Mayor’s Veto

2011-07-07T09:48:00.001-04:00

Photo Credit: Philadelphia Metro

While the Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces was thrilled with City Council's passage of the earned sick days bill we were disappointed with the Mayor's veto of our bill. On July 6th members of the Coalition came together to declare support for the earned sick days bill and independence from the Mayors veto. Members signed their own Declaration on Independence Mall and you can add your name to the growing list of supporters. We will be presenting the list of supports to the Mayor and City Council as we work to override the veto.

Sign the Declaration today!

Below is an excerpt from the Declaration - to read the entire document click here.

When in the Course of human events, 210,000 workers in the city of Philadelphia have no access to paid sick days, causing them to expose the city and its visitors to infections when employees work while ill, it is necessary to determine some means by which workers can care for themselves and their families in times of poor health without losing their jobs or their pay.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all of humankind faces germs, bacteria, and viruses in the course of their daily lives, and these substances can make people ill even when they take action to avoid becoming sick. As such, when a public policy exists that gives workers the ability to earn the time needed to recover from unavoidable illnesses, and when that time is not freely available from their places of work, it is up to the government to take action on behalf of its citizens.

Read Our Declaration of Support for Paid Sick Days and Independence from the Mayor’s Veto

2011-07-06T12:00:00.001-04:00

At Independence Mall, July 6, 2011

When in the Course of human events, 210,000 workers in the city of Philadelphia have no access to paid sick days, causing them to expose the city and its visitors to infections when employees work while ill, it is necessary to determine some means by which workers can care for themselves and their families in times of poor health without losing their jobs or their pay.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all of humankind faces germs, bacteria, and viruses in the course of their daily lives, and these substances can make people ill even when they take action to avoid becoming sick. As such, when a public policy exists that gives workers the ability to earn the time needed to recover from unavoidable illnesses, and when that time is not freely available from their places of work, it is up to the government to take action on behalf of its citizens.

Such has been the patient sufferance of this city, that over a three-year period, it scrutinized such legislative options as were available, and pored over the research from varied institutions, before bringing such a policy to debate. Over this period, the city has learned the following facts, which are now to be submitted to a candid world:

That the number of people in Philadelphia needing paid sick days equals the entire population of Harrisburg, Reading, and Scranton combined.
That research shows that paid sick days do not harm businesses, and provide benefits to workers.
That workers with paid sick days take a median of three sick days per year and regard this time as an insurance policy against illness..
That once paid sick days are implemented, heads of business associations make statements such as “paid sick days ‘is the best public policy for the least cost.’”
That businesses save money by allowing workers to earn sick days.
That illnesses do spread in the workplace, thereby robbing employers of productivity.
That the last thing most families can afford to lose is a day’s pay.

In every stage of public scrutiny, we have petitioned for the needs of workers in the most humble terms, making concessions and amendments to address the desires of the business community, and being reasonable and responsive throughout the legislative process. Our repeated petitions have been answered with passage of a paid sick days law in the City of Philadelphia by a City Council that listened to the needs of its people and the strong evidence behind this policy. But these petitions have been dismissed by a Mayor who, though supportive of sick days in principle, did not follow the will or the people and the predominant research in making his decision to veto.

We, therefore, the representatives of the Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces and the workers of Philadelphia, Assembled, do solemnly publish and declare our independence from this veto and our decision to pursue sick days through an override vote, through reintroduction of the bill, and by any means necessary until all Philadelphians have access to the time they need to care for the families they love.

Watch Coalition members as they read the declaration in front of Independence Hall.

This July 6th, We Are Declaring Independence From Mayor Nutter's Veto of Paid Sick Days!

2011-07-05T18:22:00.000-04:00

Join the Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces as They Show Their Ongoing Support for Earned Sick Days in Philadelphia

PHOTO OPPORTUNITY:
SIGNING OF LARGE DECLARATION BY SPEAKERS AND AUDIENCE

Location: Free Speech Area on Independence Mall, Market Street and Fifth Street, Philadelphia, PA
Date/Time: Wednesday, July 6, 12 PM.

PHILADELPHIA: On Wednesday, July 6, at 12 PM, representatives from The Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces will read and sign their declaration showing support for paid sick days and independence from Mayor Nutter's veto. This signing, to be held in the Free Speech Area on Independence Mall, marks the beginning of the Coalition's override strategy and ongoing commitment to earned sick days in Philadelphia.

A reading of the Declaration will take place, with readers including:

Marianne Bellesorte, PathWays PA
Kathy Black, DC 47
Sherrie Cohen
Rebecca Foley, WOMEN'S WAY.
Jasmine Rivera, ACTION United
Albert Seawright, TURN

Copies of the Declaration as well as information about paid sick days in Philadelphia will be available to reporters at the event or by emailing Kate Scully at kscully@pathwayspa.org.

"Sick in San Francisco" by Jane von Bergen

2011-07-04T21:26:00.000-04:00

"Based on four years of experience, we believe that it's good public policy," said Donna Levitt, manager of the labor standards enforcement office in San Francisco. "It’s good for workers, it's good for public health," she said. Her office, she said, gets about 4.5 complaints per month from people who claim they haven't received proper sick pay. San Francisco's bill passed in February 2007.

The Fight for Earned Sick Days Continues: Declare Your Independence from Mayor Nutter’s Veto

2011-07-01T13:54:00.001-04:00

Do you disagree with Nutter’s veto of the Earned Sick Days Bill? Come out and declare your independence from the veto and urge Council members to do the same!

On June 28th Mayor Nutter vetoed the Philadelphia Earned Sick Days Bill. This bill passed City Council on June 16th. Despite a majority of Council and over 70% of Philadelphian’s supporting this bill the Mayor vetoed it. This bill would have given over 210,000 Philadelphians without a single sick day the opportunity to earn paid sick days.

WHEN: Wednesday, July 6th 12:00

WHERE: Free Speech Zone on Independence Mall at 5th and Market Streets (Tentative)

Register to Attend Here

We are asking supporters to come out and show their independence from the Mayor’s decision and help us ask members of City Council to show that independence in voting for an override of the veto at the next Council Session in the fall.

Bring signs, tell your friends, and come out to help us show the Mayor and City Council the support for this important bill. Let them know we disagree with the Mayor’s decision and Philadelphia’s workers need earned sick days.

The Mayor's Statement on Sick Days

2011-06-30T22:10:00.001-04:00

On Tuesday, Mayor Nutter released a statement giving his reasons for vetoing Bill 080474, Promoting Healthy Families and Workplaces, which would have allowed all Philadelphians to earn sick days in their jobs. However, the Mayor's statement does not take all of the recent research and information into account.

The Mayor states that "the imposition of this requirement on Philadelphia alone -and not on a statewide or national basis - would simply create too great a burden on our local businesses, would render us uncompetitive in the global marketplace and would cost Philadelphians jobs."

Since 2007, when San Francisco’s law took effect, job growth has been consistently higher in the city than in neighboring counties that lack a paid sick days law. Total employment in San Francisco increased 3.5 percent between 2006 and 2010, while employment in its five neighboring counties fell by 3.4 percent overall.
The Philadelphia smoking ban, which was supported by then-Councilman Nutter, is one of many bills that faced the same criticisms of needing to be done at a state or federal level to avoid burdening businesses. Yet when the smoking ban passed, it paved the way for a similar bill at the state level, similar to what passage of paid sick days at the local level can do for the state.
Since most other countries offer paid sick days (at least 145), offering the opportunity to earn paid sick days in Philadelphia could not make us uncompetitive in the global marketplace.

The Mayor also states that "Mandating employers to provide sick leave benefits to employees raises the cost of labor for businesses that do not already provide such benefits. Moreover, the bill imposes considerable administrative burdens on businesses, particularly small businesses that do not have sophisticated time-keeping systems in place."

Data from San Francisco shows that 6 out of 7 businesses reported no negative effects on profitability as a result of passing a more comprehensive sick days bill than that passed in Philadelphia.
Even without sophisticated time systems, all businesses must be able to report wages and hours in addition to calculating federal, state, and local taxes, not to mention payroll taxes. Under the bill, workers would earn 1 hour of sick time for every 40 hours worked, which comes out to 0.025 hours of sick time earned per hour work. This would not be a difficult formula to add to an employer's financial management system, spreadsheet, and/or list of calculations.

In his statement, the Mayor cites an analysis from Dr. William Dunkelberg, which concludes that paid sick days "would cost businesses in Philadelphia hundreds of millions of dollars annually."

Lonnie Golden and Stephen Herzenberg released a report in May 2012 showing many errors in the Dunkelberg study, including a doublecounting error, implausible assumptions, and questionable methodology.

The Mayor also states that the bill "fails to exempt businesses that already provide the mandated number of paid sick days from complying with other aspects of the bill."

The bill clearly states that businesses who provide an equal or greater amount of sick time, vacation time, personal time, PTO, etc., do not have to change their policies so long as people can take the time when needed (i.e. without advance notice).
However, the bill does state that employers cannot retaliate against workers for taking sick days (although they reserve the right to take action if an employee is misusing their time). The exemption the Mayor is looking for, also known as the "Wal-Mart exemption," would allow businesses to offer sick days but to penalize employees for using it. An estimated 128,000 workers in Philadelphia already face such retaliation even though they have sick days - one of the aims of this bill is to protect workers from such retaliation.

Statements in Support of Paid Sick Days in Philadelphia

2011-06-30T07:41:00.001-04:00

Below are a few of the statements we've seen in support of paid sick days in Philadelphia:

AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurers Liz Shuler: It’s a shame the mayor ignored what the majority of Philadelphians say is the right thing to do for working families. When workers in the city get sick, they are still faced with the awful choice of their health of their paycheck. The mayor could have changed that.
Ellen Bravo, Executive Director of Family Values @ Work: Mayor Nutter’s decision to stand with corporate lobbyists and veto the new paid sick days ordinance is short-sighted — and most likely will be short-lived. More than one hundred organizations that make up the Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces are determined to continue the fight for this modest reform until it becomes a law.
Philadelphia Council AFL-CIO President Patrick J. Eiding: The ability to take a day off when you or your family member is sick is a public health issue as well as a worker rights issue. We’re disappointed in the mayor’s veto and will continue to fight for paid sick days and all legislation that helps workers.
Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, Executive Director of MomsRising: Today, Mayor Michael Nutter put the misplaced concerns of a handful of businesses above the public health needs of his city and the interests of Philadelphia workers and their families. By vetoing the Promoting Health Families and Workplaces Act, he is putting family economic security and Philadelphia families’ health at risk.
Labor Project for Working Families: Across the country, momentum continues to build for paid sick days because it is a proven step to improve the health of the workforce and the strength of the economy. The measure is supported by a majority of the Philadelphia City Council and by a majority of Philadelphia voters of both political parties. We will do whatever we can to support the coalition to continue their fight until paid sick days is implemented.
Debra L. Ness, President, National Partnership for Women and Families: It is deeply disappointing that Mayor Nutter chose to thwart the will of Philadelphians and the City Council by siding with the business lobby instead of hard-working families. His veto of the paid sick days bill passed by the City Council earlier this month will effectively deny more than 200,000 Philadelphia workers the right to earn the paid sick days they need to meet their health needs without risking their financial security. This veto is short-sighted and destructive. It will harm workers, families, the public health and the city itself. This is a sad day for Philadelphia.

And Now It's Time for an Override

2011-06-29T13:33:00.000-04:00

At around 2 PM yesterday, the Mayor announced he would be holding a press conference later in the afternoon to discuss the paid sick days bill at the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce. So it was no great shock when, at 4:45 (after unsuccessful attempts in the Chamber offices to have Coalition members leave the premises), the mayor vetoed the bill behind closed doors.

Despite this veto, the Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces will continue working with City Council to do everything possible to support the 71 percent of Philadelphians who want paid sick days and the 210,000 workers (and their families) who need them. Please continue to visit our website, post on our Facebook page, and let us know what you are thinking via Twitter. We will certainly be doing the same!

Below are some articles from the media on the veto.

Coalition Partners in Action: Dropping off Materials for the Mayor

2011-06-28T12:32:00.000-04:00

Sascha Murillo, intern with Maternity Care Coalition, drops off factsheets and audio stories from families about the importance of paid sick days, urging the Mayor to sign the "Promoting Healthy Families and Workplaces Act" into law.

If you would like to help education the Mayor on the importance of earned sick days feel free to let us know and we can help you put together materials.

See the Vote as it Happened!

2011-06-23T16:35:00.002-04:00

We took some video of the successful Philadelphia paid sick days vote - watch it here!

Op-ed: Sick days mean healthy business

2011-06-22T11:49:00.000-04:00

The Philadelphia Inquirer ran an op-ed today from Cathy Mangini, co-owner of Teri's diner and bar in the Italian Market, which offers sick days to its employees. Read more below and at The Inquirer's website.

I am a Philadelphia small-business owner, and I believe paid sick days are a smart investment in the health of the city's workforce and economy. So I hope Mayor Nutter signs legislation passed by City Council last week that would give all Philadelphia workers access to paid sick time.

My father and I are the proud owners of Teri's diner and bar in the Italian Market. We've worked hard to build our business, the success of which is due in no small part to a loyal, committed staff. And all 12 of our full-time employees get paid sick days.

In the restaurant world, high staff turnover is the norm. But I'm proud to report that in the three years that Teri's has been open, not one of our employees has left....

The policy is an investment that pays us back tenfold. You can't develop customer loyalty with a staff that's constantly relearning the menu and the regulars' names. Paid sick days improve our customer service and help us avoid the cost of recruiting, hiring, and training new workers...

Read the rest at http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/124334323.html.

URGENT! Mayor Nutter Needs to Hear From You on Paid Sick Days

2011-06-20T22:32:00.000-04:00

We are so close! After years of coalition building, months of campaigning, weeks and weeks of in-person visits and phone calls, the Philadelphia City Council passed an Earned Sick Days policy last Thursday on a very close 9-8 vote. This could not have happened without your hard work to let our elected representatives know that over 70% of us support this common sense approach to investing in and strengthening Philadelphia's workers and their families.

But we're not done yet! Mayor Nutter still hasn't come out in support of this policy, and we've got to ask him to sign the bill into law.

Take one minute, right now, to call the Mayor's office and let him know you support the Earned Sick Days bill and want to see it become law by calling 888-892-2110!

Here's a sample script you can use when you call: "I am calling today to let Mayor Nutter know that I strongly support the Earned Sick Days bill and I want to see it become law in Philadelphia. Do you know where the Mayor stands on the bill?"

Coalition partner Moms Rising has set up this toll-free number to the Mayor's office, complete with some short talking points, so it's super-easy to make your voice heard.

Once you've made the call, let us know how it went! Share how your call went and read about others here: http://www.momsrising.org/blog/your-phone-has-super-powers-in-philadelphia/

Your call is needed! We know Mayor Nutter has heard plenty from the opponents of earned sick days, but he also needs to hear from people like you across Philadelphia that need an earned sick days policy so that they are not forced to chose between a day's pay, and possibly their jobs, when they need to take a day off of work to care for themselves or for a sick family member.

Your calls can make the difference! Take sixty seconds now to tell Mayor Nutter you support the bill and want to see it become law(888-892-2110) and then share how the call went here: http://www.momsrising.org/blog/your-phone-has-super-powers-in-philadelphia/

And be sure to forward this email to your friends and family who live and/or work in Philadelphia so they can call Mayor Nutter too!

Together we'll make sure that Mayor Nutter knows moms and families are counting on him to do the right thing by allowing the earned sick days bill to become law!

WE WIN! Philadelphia City Council Passes Earned Sick Day Bill

2011-06-16T17:28:00.000-04:00

For Immediate Release:
June 16, 2011

Contact:
Lauren Townsend, Philadelphia Earned Sick Day Campaign
215-939-7621

Philadelphia City Council Passes Earned Sick Day Bill

All across the country, working families have been taking a beating.
We say to those workers: Come to Philadelphia! We are open for business

Philadelphia. Today is a great day for Philadelphia working people. Philadelphia City Council passed the earned sick day bill – sponsored by Councilman Darrell Clarke and Councilman Bill Greenlee.

Promoting Healthy Families and Workplaces Act (Bill 080474) will, after Mayor Nutter’s signature, allow Philadelphia workers the opportunity to earn up to 7 days of sick time per year for a large business and up to 4 days per year for a small business. The bill could affect up to 200,000 workers in Philadelphia who do not have access to paid sick days.

Earned, paid, sick days are supported by a majority of Philadelphia citizens (71%). Paid sick days are also supported by the Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces, that boasts over 100 organizations representing tens of thousands of Philadelphians. The Coalition has been pressing for passage of the bill for two years.

Today’s overwhelming vote underscores what we already know – supporting workers is good for our public health and good for our economy.

The Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces looks forward to Mayor Nutter signing this bill – which will be a model for the rest of the nation in terms of creating common sense policies that provide real security for our workforce and supporting a growing economy. This bill strikes the right balance.

Members of the Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces expressed their elation about Council’s passage of the earned sick day bill:

This is a great day for working families in Philadelphia. We applaud Councilman Clarke and Philadelphia City Council for taking this historic vote and making Philadelphia one step closer to being the largest city in the country with earned sick time.

Marvin Robinson, Leader, Action United

We are thrilled that City Council is following the will of the people of Philadelphia and the health of the workforce and our communities and strongly encourage Mayor Nutter to sign the Healthy Families bill and support our citizens! Thank you to everyone who believes in the well-being of our workers, their children and their families.

Carol Goertzel, President/CEO, PathWays PA

Passing this legislation will ensure that all workers are treated with the dignity they deserve. Particularly our city’s mothers and daughters – who are disproportionately impacted – they can take care of themselves and loved ones without having to lose a day’s pay or their job. We look forward to Mayor Nutter’s signature on this important bill.

Amanda S. Aronoff, Executive Director, WOMEN’S WAY

City Council took a major step forward today, both in protecting the right of workers and in protecting the health of all Philadelphians. We expect Mayor Nutter to take the next step and sign this legislation. Doing so at a time when conservatives are trying to roll back protections for working people in Harrisburg and Washington will send an important message to progressives throughout the country: we are ready to fight.

Marc Stier, Executive Director, Penn Action

This is a great day for LGBT parents in Philadelphia. We look forward to Mayor Nutter’s signature on this bill to make earned sick days a reality.

Stephanie Haynes, Community Coordinator, Philadelphia Family Pride

Background

With over 40 percent of Philadelphians lacking earned sick days, a large portion of the population cannot take the time off work to go see a doctor or obtain medical treatment - regardless of the medical coverage they have.

Employees with earned sick days are more likely to stay home when they are sick, limiting the spread of the illness and protecting co-workers, customers, or anyone else they meet during the work day. During the height of the H1N1 pandemic, people were urged to stay home if they had any signs of the flu, however, those without earned sick days were less likely to stay home because they could not afford to. As a result, nearly 8 million H1N1 cases were traced back to employees going to work while sick.

Liberty City Calls on Council to Pass Earned Sick Days Bill

2011-06-14T16:28:00.005-04:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Contact: Micah Mahjoubian
Phone: (215) 432-1068

Liberty City Calls on Council to Pass Earned Sick Days Bill

Liberty City LGBT Democratic Club today officially joined the Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces and called on Philadelphia City Council to pass earned sick days legislation Thursday, June 16th.

“Liberty City has worked tirelessly to promote policies that support LGBT residents and families and we have worked just as tirelessly to elect councilmembers who support those LGBT-friendly policies,” said Lee Carson, Co-Chair of Liberty City. “The earned sick days bill is critical in supporting and protecting LGBT families and Liberty City expects LGBT-supportive councilmembers to vote for it.”

"Passing the earned sick days bill is an important step forward for LGBT civil rights in Philadelphia." added Liberty City Co-Chair Adah Bush.

Liberty City joins the following LGBT Community and HIV/AIDS leadership organizations in supporting earned sick days legislation: Mazzoni Center, William Way, Action AIDS, Philadelphia AIDS Fund, Philadelphia Family Pride, AIDS Law Project, GALAEI, and Philadelphia Fight.

Promoting Healthy Families and Workplaces Act (Bill 080474) would allow Philadelphia workers the opportunity to earn up to 7 days of sick time per year for a large business and up to 4 days per year for a small businesses. It was voted out of the Public Health and Human Services Committee earlier this year. The bill could affect up to 200,000 workers in Philadelphia who do not have access to paid sick days.

The earned sick day bill is LGBT-inclusive. The bill explicitly allows workers to use earned sick time to care for spouses, domestic partners or life partners, parents, grandparents, siblings, biological children, grandchildren, foster children, adopted children, stepchildren, legal wards, and children of workers who stand “in loco parentis” (this phrase covers LGBT parents who do not have a legal or biological relationship to their children).

With over 40 percent of Philadelphians lacking earned sick days, a large portion of the population cannot take the time off work to go see a doctor or obtain medical treatment - regardless of the medical coverage they have.

Employees with earned sick days are more likely to stay home when they are sick, limiting the spread of the illness and protecting co-workers, customers, or anyone else they meet during the work day. During the height of the H1N1 pandemic, people were urged to stay home if they had any signs of the flu, however, those without earned sick days were less likely to stay home because they could not afford to. As a result, nearly 8 million H1N1 cases were traced back to employees going to work while sick.

City Council is expected to vote on the bill on Thursday, June 16, 2011.

Liberty City LGBT Democratic Club works to register, educate, and mobilize lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) voters, elect openly LGBT candidates for public and party office, support LGBT-friendly candidates and promote legislative issues of importance to the LGBT community.

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Support for Sick Days Continues to Grow

2011-06-14T15:31:00.000-04:00

In addition to today's press release from Liberty City, posts on Amplifyyourvoice.org and Young Philly Politics are continuing to raise the profile of sick days. Please take a moment to read the posts and show your support by calling City Council tomorrow!

It's Crunch Time!

2011-06-13T09:47:00.000-04:00

Push for Earned Sick Days at City Council! Click here to RSVP for the FINAL VOTE June 16th at City Hall.

It’s crunch time for Earned Sick Days.

Together we’ve sent postcards, we’ve signed petitions, we’ve told our Facebook friends, we’ve updated our Twitter streams, we’ve sent letters to the editor, we’ve testified at City Council, and we’ve called on our elected officials to make a simple, common-sense investment in Philadelphia’s families and workers by creating a strong, mandatory sick day policy for all employees in the city.

This week it all comes to a head. The City Council is taking the final vote on Thursday June 16th and we are pulling out all the stops to make sure that our representatives actually represent the 70% of Philadelphians who said in a recent poll that they want Earned Sick Days. We need you to add your voice so we can win!

ESD supporters are stepping up in two ways. On Wednesday, June 15, folks are calling the Mayor and asking him to support the bill because he still hasn’t taken a stand in favor. Then, on Thursday the 16th, we are packing the City Council chambers with ESD supporters from around the city to make sure that Council members can visualize just how broad and deep the support for this policy is.

If you can take a few short minutes to make a call during the day on Wednesday, please RSVP here.

If you can join with hundreds of scores of other ESD supporters at the City Council itself on Thursday at 9:30 AM, please RSVP here. (If you don’t have a Facebook account you can RSVP here.)

This campaign is one step in making Philadelphia a first-class city all its residents. It is a common-sense way to strengthen families, protect public health, respect LGBT relationships, and reduce recruiting and retention costs for small businesses. We’re almost there, but we need every ESD supporter to stand up and let their Philadelphia representatives know.

Please RSVP for Wednesday’s call-in day and/or for Thursday’s “pack the chamber” day.

We’re so close and hearing from people like you will make the difference in convincing our City Council and Mayor that this is, very simply, the right thing to do for Philadelphia workers and their families. Please make your voice heard on Wednesday and show up for the final vote itself on Thursday!

Thank you for your support in helping bring the campaign to the brink of victory,

Council to Vote on Earned Sick Days Bill - June 16th! Come Out to City Hall to Show Your Support!

2011-06-09T22:44:00.001-04:00

Council is Hearing from the Opposition, Make Sure They Hear from You TOO!

We are less than a week away from a vote on the earned sick days bill. We know that City Council is hearing from those opposed to the bill and they need to hear from you too. We really need everyone reaching out to Council reminding them about the importance of earned sick days.

Below is a quick script you can use:

"I am calling today to let Councilperson _____ know that I strongly support Bill 080474, Promoting Healthy Families and Workplaces, and I expect the Councilperson to support it as well. This bill will ensure that families can earn sick days when they work so they don't have to choose between the jobs they need and the families they love. Do you know if the Councilperson plans to vote for the bill?"

Please report back the yeses, nos, and maybes that you hear so that we can keep track and do additional outreach. You can email kscully@pathwayspa.org with any notes or just put them in the comments below.

You can find your Councilperson at http://www.phila.gov/citycouncil/CouncilMembers.html.

The people that need to hear from supporter most are Councilwoman Verna, Councilwoman Tasco, Councilman Green, and Councilwoman Blackwell, but everyone needs to hear from us. Councilpeople Clarke and Greenlee can get different messages, since they are cosponsors - more along the lines of "thanks for your support, and we are looking forward to a positive vote!"

Philadelphia City Council to Vote on Earned Sick Days Bill - June 16th!

Help ensure City Council members vote YES on the Earned Sick Days Bill! They have been hearing from the opposition so it is critical we show them the wide range of support for the Promoting Healthy Families and Workplaces bill.

WHEN: June 16, 2011 9:30 AM

WHERE: 4th Floor, Philadelphia City Hall

Help us greet City Council members as they enter Session and then pack the Hearing Room to show the importance of this bill. Bring any signs or posters to represent why you support earned sick days. You can enter City Hall at the north-east corner and remember to bring a picture ID.

Even if you have paid sick days remember a majority of restaurant, child care, and health care workers do not-the lack of paid sick days in Philadelphia impacts us all!

To learn more about the need for earned sick days visit http://earnedsickdaysphilly.com or contact Kate Scully at kscully@pathwayspa.org or 610-543-5022 x255.

Philadelphia LGBT & HIV/AIDS Community Leaders Call on Philadelphia City Council to Pass Earned Sick Day Bill

2011-06-08T16:17:00.000-04:00

For Immediate Release:
June 8 2011

Contact:
Lauren Townsend - 215-939-7621
Philadelphia Earned Sick Day Campaign

Stephanie Haynes - 215-888-0722
Philadelphia Family Pride

Philadelphia LGBT and HIV/AIDS Community Leaders Call on Philadelphia City Council to Pass Earned Sick Day Bill

Philadelphia - Today at a Noon hour press conference held at the William Way Community Center, leaders of Philadelphia LGBT and HIV/AIDS organizations spoke about their organizations' support of the earned sick day bill and called on Philadelphia City Council to pass it. Each organization that participated in the event is a member of the over 100 organization Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces.

While announcing the support of these prominent organizations representing the city’s LGBT community and people living with HIV/AIDS, Chris Bartlett, Executive Director of the William Way Center, called earned sick days a “key issue for the LGBT community.”

“For decades, we have worked to ensure that the needs of people living with HIV/AIDS – as well as the needs of the entire LGBT community – are met,” Bartlett said. “That’s why we stand together today to urge City Council to get behind this bill that can really make a difference for our families.”

Nurit Shein, Executive Director of the Mazzoni Center stated her strong endorsement of the legislation, calling it a “win-win” for both employers and employees. “As an employer of some 100 people, it makes sense to me to give our employees paid sick days as one way to take care of them and to help ensure loyalty to our organization and our cause. And from an ethical standpoint, it is simply the right thing to do."

The Mazzoni Center is the only health care provider in the Philadelphia region specifically targeting the unique health care needs of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities.

Kevin Burns, Executive Director of Action AIDS said that advocating for earned sick leave was “a no-brainer” for his organization which works in partnership with people living with or affected by HIV/AIDS, to sustain and enhance their quality of life. “Our goal is to remove barriers. For people living with HIV/AIDS, the result of missing a critical doctor’s appointment because of fear of losing one’s job could be devastating," he said. "It’s time for City Council to knock down this barrier.”

Sherrie Cohen, former lesbian candidate for City Council, highlighted why paid sick leave is especially important for Philadelphia’a LGBT working families: “While most of us take paid sick days for granted, more than 200,000 workers in Philadelphia have no paid sick time. That is especially hard on LGBT families whose incomes are 33% below the incomes of heterosexual married couples. That means LGBT parents are less likely to be able to afford to take unpaid time off from work. It’s time to provide all working families the security they need.”

“This proposal is LGBT-inclusive and an important civil rights measure for LGBT parents who may have sick days for themselves, but who are not currently able to take paid sick days to care for their ill spouse, children or parents,” said Stephanie Haynes, Community Coordinator for Philadelphia Family Pride (PFP). “Parents should not have to choose between a day's pay and taking their sick child to the doctor,” she added.

PFP is a non-profit membership organization serving over 200 LGBT-parented families in Philadelphia and the surrounding suburbs. They create community through family-friendly events and educational activities.

James Rosica, Projects and Development Associate, spoke on behalf of the AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania and the thousands of clients with HIV/AIDS for whom they provide legal assistance, saying: “We know from our clients that too often they go to work even when they can hardly get out of bed. This bill would be a tremendous help for all of them.”

Founded in 1988, the AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania is a nonprofit, public-interest law firm providing free legal assistance to people with HIV/AIDS and those affected by the epidemic. We also educate the public about AIDS-related legal issues, train case management professionals to become better advocates for their HIV-positive clients, and work at local, state and national levels to achieve fair laws and policies.

Elicia Gonzales, Executive Director of GALAEI (Gay and Lesbian Latino AIDS Education Initiative), did not attend the press conference but said in a statement:

GALAEI supports the “Promoting Healthy Families and Workplaces” bill because it will offer economic and health protections to the LGBT community. LGBT individuals are faced with health disparities and many are already fearful of losing their jobs. Research shows that between 15 percent and 43 percent of gay and transgender workers experience some form of discrimination of their sexual orientation or gender identity—factors that have absolutely nothing to do with job performance. A large number of LGBT workers in Philadelphia are forced to go to work ill because they cannot afford to lose pay or risk losing their jobs. Job security is of critical importance to LGBT communities and paid sick leave is necessary for Philadelphia’s LGBT communities.

BACKGROUND:

Promoting Healthy Families and Workplaces Act (Bill 080474) would allow Philadelphia workers the opportunity to earn up to 7 days of sick time per year for a large business and up to 4 days per year for a small businesses. It was voted out of the Public Health and Human Services Committee earlier this year. The bill could affect up to 200,000 workers in Philadelphia who do not have access to paid sick days.

The earned sick day bill is LGBT-inclusive. The bill explicitly allows workers to use earned sick time to care for spouses, domestic partners or life partners, parents, grandparents, siblings, biological children, grandchildren, foster children, adopted children, stepchildren, legal wards, and children of workers who stand “in loco parentis” (this phrase covers LGBT parents who do not have a legal or biological relationship to their children.

With over 40 percent of Philadelphians lacking earned sick days, a large portion of the population cannot take the time off work to go see a doctor or obtain medical treatment - regardless of the medical coverage they have.

Employees with earned sick days are more likely to stay home when they are sick, limiting the spread of the illness and protecting co-workers, customers, or anyone else they meet during the work day. During the height of the H1N1 pandemic, people were urged to stay home if they had any signs of the flu, however, those without earned sick days were less likely to stay home because they could not afford to. As a result, nearly 8 million H1N1 cases were traced back to employees going to work while sick.

After an amendment is offered this Thursday by Councilman Bill Greenlee exempting "mom and pop" businesses that have 5 or fewer employees, it is expected that Philadelphia City Council will be voting on the bill on Thursday, June 16, 2011.

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Philadelphia LGBT and HIV/AIDS Community Leaders to Speak on Importance of Earned Sick Days

2011-06-08T09:47:00.000-04:00

MEDIA ADVISORY
For Immediate Release:
June 8 2011

Contact:
Lauren Townsend - 215-939-7621
Philadelphia Earned Sick Day Campaign

Stephanie Haynes - 215-888-0722
Philadelphia Family Pride

Philadelphia LGBT and HIV/AIDS Community Leaders to Speak on Importance of Earned Sick Days - TODAY 6/8 at Noon
William Way Community Center -1315 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107

WHAT:

Today, Philadelphia leaders, representing the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender and HIV/AIDS communities, will speak about their support of the earned sick day bill that is pending in Philadelphia City Council. Each organization that will be represented tomorrow is a member of the over 100 organization Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces.

Promoting Healthy Families and Workplaces Act (Bill 080474) would allow Philadelphia workers the opportunity to earn up to 7 days of sick time per year for a large business and up to 4 days per year for a small businesses. It was voted out of the Public Health and Human Services Committee earlier this year. The bill could affect up to 200,000 workers in Philadelphia who do not have access to paid sick days.

The earned sick day bill is LGBT-inclusive. The bill explicitly allows workers to use earned sick time to care for spouses, domestic partners or life partners, parents, grandparents, siblings, biological children, grandchildren, foster children, adopted children, stepchildren, legal wards, and children of workers who stand “in loco parentis” (this phrase covers LGBT parents who do not have a legal or biological relationship to their children.

After an amendment is offered this Thursday by Councilman Bill Greenlee exempting "mom and pop" businesses that have 5 or fewer employees, it is expected that Philadelphia City Council will be voting on the bill on Thursday, June 16, 2011.

PARTICIPANTS WILL INCLUDE:

Chris Bartlett, Executive Director - William Way
Kevin Burns, Executive Director- Action AIDS
Sherrie Cohen
Stephanie Haynes, Community Coordinator - Philadelphia Family Pride
Robb Reichard, Executive Director - AIDS Fund
James Rosica, Esq., Projects and Development Associate, AIDS Law Project of Philadelphia
Nurit Shein, Executive Director- Mazzoni Center

WHEN/WHERE:

12:00 Noon - William Way Community Center - 1315 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107

BACKGROUND:

With over 40 percent of Philadelphians lacking earned sick days, a large portion of the population cannot take the time off work to go see a doctor or obtain medical treatment - regardless of the medical coverage they have.

Employees with earned sick days are more likely to stay home when they are sick, limiting the spread of the illness and protecting co-workers, customers, or anyone else they meet during the work day. During the height of the H1N1 pandemic, people were urged to stay home if they had any signs of the flu, however, those without earned sick days were less likely to stay home because they could not afford to. As a result, nearly 8 million H1N1 cases were traced back to employees going to work while sick.

-30-

TIME Magazine Asks: Are American Women Better off Than French? Paid Sick Days is One Reason They Might Not Be.

2011-06-08T09:00:00.000-04:00

As Dominique Strauss-Kahn and Anthony Weiner make headlines, TIME Magazine takes a look at how France and America treat women. Through the lens of the wage gap, harassment, and paid sick days, TIME points out that while Americans are holding famous men accountable for their treatment of women (and rightly so), this accountability may not help the average American all that much.

From TIME Magazine:

And it's pretty certain that all the salacious details emerging from Weiner's Twitter account won't help the millions of American women who don't have even one paid sick day to take care of a child or themselves. For many of the women who clean hotels and serve food, taking a day off means losing a big chunk of a week's pay. That's something that French women would surely not tolerate. (In the U.S., only 41% of low-wage service-industry jobs, which are dominated by women, allow paid sick days.) And how about maternity leave? America is one of only two industrialized nations, along with Australia, that do not guarantee paid maternity leave, and only 11% of U.S. civilian workers get paid family leave.

Read the whole article at http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2076113,00.html.

Work in Philadelphia and Connecticut is Increasing the Likelihood of Sick Days in New York City

2011-06-04T14:36:00.001-04:00

Sick-pay votes boost bill in NYC

Advocates for a law requiring city businesses to offer their employees paid sick days step up their efforts as similar measures advance in Connecticut and Philadelphia. - By Daniel Massey

Connecticut legislators are about to pass a bill to make their state the first in the nation to require employers to provide workers with paid sick time. And City Council members in Philadelphia are expected to vote Thursday on a bill mandating up to seven paid sick days per year for workers.

With that momentum, advocates in New York City are stepping up efforts to revive a sick-pay bill shelved last year by City Council Speaker Christine Quinn over concerns that it would harm small businesses.

To read the full story, visit http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20110603/FREE/110609937.

And let's beat New York by passing sick days first!!

Daily News Op-Ed: The Benefits of Paid Sick Days

2011-06-01T11:49:00.000-04:00

LAST WEEK, a group of economists, including the authors of this op-ed, published an open letter to City Council urging passage of a bill that would let every worker in Philadelphia earn paid sick days. A growing body of real-world research shows that the Promoting Healthy Businesses and Workplaces bill would be good for business, good for the economy and good for public health.

The public seems to agree. A poll released last week indicates that seven in 10 city voters support such legislation.

For many workers, taking a day off from work to care for themselves or their kids when illness strikes means losing a day's pay, or worse - losing their jobs. The alternative is sick adults going to work or sick children going to child care or school. People should not be forced to choose between being a good worker and being a good parent.

To read the full article by Lonnie Golden and Steve Herzenberg, please visit The Daily News website.

New Letter to the Editor in Today's Philadelphia Daily News

2011-06-01T11:43:00.000-04:00

The editorial "Mandated Sick Pay: Job Killer" had only one thing right, that "It is completely unfair that some workers don't get sick days."

It is the responsibility of City Council to right this wrong and require all employers to provide paid sick days to keep Philadelphians healthy and employed. When you add in the benefits of low turnover and a healthy and productive workforce, this measure will benefit businesses in the long run.

Elly Porter-Webb, Philadelphia

You can also read the letter at http://articles.philly.com/2011-05-31/news/29603216_1_sick-days-small-businesses-public-sector.

Earned Sick Days Bill Taken Off of Suspension!

2011-05-27T16:03:00.003-04:00

Yesterday morning, the Philadelphia City Council took Promoting Healthy Families and Workplaces (Bill No. 080474) off of suspension. In the next few weeks, amendments will be added and the bill will get a final vote!

Please help us down the stretch run to make this bill protect the rights and health of all Philadelphia workers!

Click here for the full story by the Daily News.

MomsRising Paid Sick Days Blog Carnival

2011-05-25T15:20:00.002-04:00

Thank you to MomsRising who put together a Blog Carnival focusing on the need for paid sick days in Philadelphia. Some of the authors include Coalition partners, national experts, and moms. See a list of the blog posts below.

An Apple A Day Isn’t Enough: Blog-A-Thon For Philadelphia’s Earned Sick Days Law, by Ruth Martin, MomsRising. “Planning, preparation, prevention – it all comes with the territory of being a mom. We try to head off as many accidents and illnesses as we can; we child-proof, we carry hand sanitizer, and we teach our kids to wash their hands. But there is a big hole in our safety net: Two out of five – that’s 41% – of Philadelphia employees are not allowed by their employers to earn even a single paid sick day to care for their own health and thousands more are unable to take a paid day to care for a sick child or parent.”

In the City of Brotherly and Sisterly Love, A Chance to Stand Up For Working Families, by Vicki Shabo, National Partnership for Women and Families. “With more than 210,000 working people in Philadelphia lacking access to paid sick days, approving a law to establish a standard should be common sense for the City Council.”

Bad Economics Meet Paid Sick Days in Philadelphia, by Robert Drago, Institute for Women’s Policy Research. “A new study for the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB) estimates that Philadelphia’s proposed paid sick days legislation would cost employers between $350 million and $752 million annually. Both the factual basis and the assumptions underlying this study are seriously flawed.”

Support Paid Sick Days In Philadelphia! by Angie Norris, Studio 34 Yoga. A Philadelphia nurse who’s also a small business owner shares her perspective on providing paid sick days. Thank you to Angie for providing earned sick time!

In Philadelphia, A Healthy Workforce and a Healthy Business Environment Go Together, by Amy Traub, Demos. “In an era of high unemployment, good policymaking also requires that we answer another question: how would guaranteeing all working people in Philadelphia the right to earn paid sick leave impact the city’s economy?”

Philadelphians deserve right to time off when sick, by Kathy Black, president of the Coalition of Labor Union Women, Philadelphia chapter. “Paid sick days is a policy that’s good for workers, good for families and good for our community. And businesses in other cities that have a paid sick day law say the law has no negative impact on profitability – by a measure of 6 to 1!”

Apocalypse Never: Earned Sick Days Provide Benefit, Not Doom, by Jake Blumgart. “Rather than just making fretful predictions, we should look at empirical evidence gathered from successfully implemented paid sick leave bills.”

This boss doesn’t mind paid sick days, by Dewetta Logan. The owner of a small childcare center in West Philly shares her experience in providing earned sick time. And– BIG thank you to Dewetta for protecting your employees and the kids you all care for by providing earned sick time!

Economists say paid sick days will help Philadelphia make progress toward economic recovery, by Marianne Bellesorte

Letter to the Editor: Workers Need the Opportunity to Earn Sick Days, by Diane Mohney. Certified school nurse offers her 29 years of wisdom and experience in explaining the need for sick days. Scroll all the way to the end to check it out.

Faith leaders sign letter in support of earned sick days in Philadelphia, by Kate Scully. Faith leaders sign a letter to Mayor Nutter in support of providing all workers in Philadelphia with the opportunity to earn paid sick days.

Philadelphia Business Journal: Sick Days for Healthy Recovery, by Eileen Appelbaum and Lonnie Golden. “Mandating paid sick days is one policy that will help employers keep workers in jobs.” Subscribers can read the entire article.

Every Parent wants to protect their children, by Barbara Lovelace of north Philadelphia. Barbara shares the agonizing decision her daughter had to make: Stay by Barbara’s side as she lay in the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit, or return to her job as a cashier worrying about whether her mother would pass away while she was on the job.

Status Update: I support paid sick days!, by Marianne Bellesorte. If you can’t make it to City Hall, join our virtual Facebook rally to support earned sick time in Philly!

Support Paid Sick Days For Philadelphia Families, by Jennifer at PhillyFun4Kids.We take a moment out of bringing you Philly’s best family friendly free or mostly free fun to think about this…In Philadelphia over 40% of workers do not have the ability to earn any paid sick days.

Mothers Gather at Childspace to Support Earned Sick Days, by Zach Subar. Power of one(sies) decorated with messages like “Moms rock!” also tell the story of why paid sick days are a family friendly policy.

Using NFIB Economist’s Estimates on Paid Sick Days: It’s Not Cricket, by Steve Herzenberg. Herzenberg shows that even if readers oppose paid sick days, they shouldn’t use the Dunkelberg estimates because, well, “It’s not cricket.” The estimates are so transparently inflated that folks who live in a fact-based world shouldn’t use them.

Philadelphia Paid Sick Days Law Would Allow Workers to Take Care of Their Chronic Conditions, by Andrea Lindemann. In Philadelphia, there’s a disconnect between public health initiatives and access to care. The reason? Lack of paid time off to get to the doctor to care for chronic conditions.

It’s time now for workers to be able to earn paid sick days in Philly and across the country, by Linda Meric. Millions of Americans working without paid sick days face the impossible choice between caring for their health and that of their family, and keeping their paycheck or job. At a time when many families are worried about their financial security, the threat of losing a job or needed wages forces many workers to go to work even though they are ill.

Rooting for Passage of Paid Sick Days in Philadelphia, by Ellen Bravo. Every night a second grade teacher washes the top cover of her reading couch because some child has had to come to class with the flu rather than staying home alone.

More Than Seven in Ten Voters Support Paid Sick Days

2011-05-25T13:18:00.001-04:00

Nearly Two-Thirds of Voters More Likely to Back Councilpersons Who Support Bill
(Read the polling data here)

PHILADELPHIA – As City Council considers a bill that would ensure Philadelphia workers are able to earn sick days, a new poll finds an overwhelming majority of voters in the May 17 Primary election strongly support the legislation and are more likely to back elected officials who support it as well.

“It’s no surprise that Philadelphia voters strongly support a bill that will protect public health, help working families and strengthen the city’s economy,” said Ricardo Valadez, Campaign Manager for the over 90 organization member Philadelphia Campaign for Earned Sick Days. “Philadelphians understand workers should not have to make a choice between their health and their income. No one should have choose between being a good employee and a good parent. It’s time for City Council to call this bill for a vote.”

Major findings from the poll include:

Seventy-one percent of Philadelphians who voted in the May 17 primary support earned sick days legislation, and only 24 percent oppose the measure.
The measure enjoys bi-partisan support. 64% of registered Republicans and 72% of registered Democrats support the bill.
A majority of voters agree the measure would be good for Philadelphia businesses. When given a choice between two statements, 64% agreed that “this proposal is good for Philadelphia businesses,” while only 26% agreed more that “this proposal is bad for Philadelphia businesses.”
A clear majority of voters believe the measure will improve the public health of the city. 59% agreed that “this proposal is good for public health in Philadelphia,” while 31% agreed that “this proposal will have no impact on public health in Philadelphia.”
Sixty-four percent of primary voters are more likely to support a City Council Member who backs the proposal, and only 23% were less likely. Voters also said they are less likely to support Mayor Nutter when they learn that he opposes the proposal (47% less likely / 30% more likely).
Women, African Americans, and young voters tend to be the strongest supporters of the paid sick days proposal. Although older voters, whites, and men tend to be least enthusiastic about the bill, a majority of voters in each of these groups voiced support for the bill (63% of seniors, 61% of men and 53% of older white men).

The Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces, a broad coalition of 95 community organizations and labor unions advocating for paid sick days, commissioned the poll from the Anzalone Liszt Research group. The poll surveyed 500 Philadelphians – both Democrats and Republicans -- who voted in the May 17, 2011 Primary.

The new poll comes as members of the Coalition plan to go to City Hall on Thursday to call on Council Members to bring the paid sick days bill to a vote. Prior to Thursday’s Council session, members of the coalition will surround City Hall with more than 10,000 postcards from sick day supporters as commuters, City Hall workers, Council Members and the Mayor arrive for work.

Promoting Healthy Families and Workplaces Act (Bill 080474), which would allow Philadelphia workers the opportunity to earn up to seven days of sick time per year, was voted out of the Public Health and Human Services Committee on March 1, 2011, and is awaiting a full Council vote. More than 200,000 Philadelphia workers – 40 percent of the city’s workforce – do not have access to paid sick days.

“Providing paid sick days is good for business,” a number of prominent Pennsylvania economists wrote in a recent letter to members of the City Council. “It reduces the serious and costly public health threat created by people coming to work sick, and businesses that provide paid sick days reduce worker-turnover and replacement costs.”

Cities and states across the country are considering bills to ensure workers are able to take paid time off when they’re sick. The Connecticut State Legislature is poised to vote on a state-wide bill this week, paid sick days legislation in New York City has 35 City Council sponsors, and diverse coalitions are supporting a bill in Seattle and preparing a ballot initiative in Denver. More than a dozen other states have coalitions advocating actively for paid sick days and paid family leave policies. San Francisco and Washington, DC have already implemented paid sick days laws.

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NFIB Economist Report on Earned Sick Leave Filled With Errors; PA Economists Find Costs of Sick Days Proposal Exaggerated and Benefits Ignored

2011-05-24T14:45:00.000-04:00

For Immediate Release:
May 24, 2011

Contacts:
Lauren Townsend, Paid Sick Days Campaign
215-939-7621

Dr. Stephen Herzenberg, Keystone Research Center
717-805-2318

NFIB Economist Report on Earned Sick Leave Filled With Errors;

PA Economists Find Costs of Sick Days Proposal Exaggerated and Benefits Ignored

Philadelphia -- Pennsylvania economists today responded to a new report by William Dunkelberg, National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB) chief economist, on the impact of earned sick days legislation, saying Dunkelberg’s report “contains serious errors that exaggerate the costs of the proposal and ignore the benefits.”

"Given the fundamental flaws in methodology and analysis in this report, its predictions are too one-sided to be credible," concludes Lonnie Golden, Professor of Economics and Labor Studies at Penn State Abington.

The economists pointed to the following errors and limitations of the Dunkelberg report:

A simple analytical error doubles the estimated potential maximum cost of the bill to employers.
Dunkelberg’s study assumes workers will take all of their allowed paid sick days when national surveys indicate that workers take less than half of allowed sick days, on average.
It fails to use arguably the best evidence available, from the actual impact study of paid sick leave in San Francisco, which found that more than 2/3 of employers are now supportive of the measure.
It does not consider the many potential cost-saving benefits for employers that would likely result from reduced turnover and greater worker effort and productivity due to an improved employment relationship.
It neglects the potential costs when sick workers come to their job—including low-productivity and the cost of the workplace spread of communicable illnesses.
It overstates the adverse effect on jobs by using a questionable methodology that exaggerates the sensitivity of employer demand for labor to the implementation of paid sick days.
The report includes implausibly high estimates of compliance costs for businesses.

The full response to the NFIB report can be read HERE.

“The sky won’t fall if we enact modest paid sick days legislation, any more than it did when we enacted child labor laws and other basic labor standards,” said Keystone Research Center economist, Dr. Stephen Herzenberg. “When you use actual data on how much workers use paid sick days, and add in benefits such as lower turnover, any short-run costs are negligible. Long-term, paid sick days can help establish Philadelphia as a city with high workplace standards that help attract and grow innovative businesses and committed workers.”

“If paid sick days are such a job killer,” added Golden, “how do you explain that—in every employer size class—two-thirds of San Francisco employers with actual experience with a paid sick days law (one stronger than the current Philadelphia proposal) support are somewhat or very supportive of the law.”

Over 90 organizations that comprise the Philadelphia Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces have been pressing for a vote on Philadelphia's earned sick days bill before Philadelphia City Council recesses for the summer. The enthusiasm throughout the City for this long overdue legislation has been echoed by a Philadelphia public opinion poll conducted last week by Anzelone Research showing that over 70% of Philadelphia voters support the bill.

The National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB), whose chief economist produced the report, has been a long time ally of extreme anti-worker Members of Congress and special interest groups including the Chamber of Commerce. The group has spent the last several years fighting against the Family and Medical Leave Act, increase in the Minimum Wage, the Obama Administration’s economic stimulus package and health care reform legislation.

Background:

Promoting Healthy Families and Workplaces Act (Bill 080474) is a bill that would allow Philadelphia workers the opportunity to earn up to 7 days of sick time per year for a large business and up to 4 days per year for a small business. It was voted out of the Public Health and Human Services Committee on March 1, 2011. The bill could affect up to 200,000 workers in Philadelphia who do not have access to paid sick days.

With over 40 percent of Philadelphians lacking earned sick days, a large portion of the population cannot take the time off work to go see a doctor or obtain medical treatment - regardless of the medical coverage they have.

Employees with earned sick days are more likely to stay home when they are sick, limiting the spread of the illness and protecting co-workers, customers, or anyone else they meet during the work day. During the height of the H1N1 pandemic, people were urged to stay home if they had any signs of the flu, however, those without earned sick days were less likely to stay home because they could not afford to. As a result, nearly 8 million H1N1 cases were traced back to employees going to work while sick.

Status Update: I Support Paid Sick Days

2011-05-24T14:25:00.003-04:00

On Thursday, City Council is going to consider moving a bill for earned sick days from "suspension" to the active calendar. To show support for the issue to Councilors and Mayor Michael Nutter, Philadelphians are joining with us to hold a "virtual rally" on Wednesday May 25th from Noon to 1 pm.

We need you to add your voice to the rallying call-without even leaving your desk!

Click here to RSVP to the virtual rally!

Take part in the Earned Sick Days Coalition's virtual rally in support of an earned sick days policy for all people working in the city limits of Philadelphia.

When: Wednesday May 25th from Noon to 1 pm.
Where: Your computer or smart phone.
How: By sharing why you support an Earned Sick Days policy and/or how it will affect YOU!

Post a Facebook status update about how Earned Sick Days can help you or why it is the kind of policy Mayor Nutter should support.
Send a tweet to @Michael_Nutter and let him know why supporting an Earned Sick Days policy is the right thing to do.

Don't use social media but want to share a story? We're setting up a system that will allow you to say what you want to say as part of the rally. We have suggested tweets and Facebook status updates available to help you get started and once you see what others are saying on the #paidsickdays Twitter hashtag you'll have plenty more you can add.

Wednesday is part of a set of actions the campaign is taking to build support for Earned Sick Days and you participation will really help let Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter and the whole City Council know that the entire city is behind this common-sense policy to support workers in the city.

Click here to RSVP for the Virtual Rally on Facebook.

Come Help Us Wrap City Hall in Postcards and Pack the Session Room!

2011-05-20T11:19:00.000-04:00

The Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces is holding two events a week from today and we need your help to make them a success. We are working to have the Promoting Healthy Families and Workplaces Act pulled off the suspension list on Thursday, May 26th. In order to do so we need a lot of people at City Hall. Can you join us? Below is information about the two events. Feel free to come to both or just come and stay for as long as you are able to.

Ever seen City Hall wrapped in thousands of postcards? Neither have we. That's why you should join us.

WHEN: May 26th at 8:00 AM

WHERE: Philadelphia City Hall

Meet us outside the visitor’s entrance at the north-east corner of the building.

Come out and show your support as we wrap City Hall with the thousands of postcards of people like you who support passing this bill. Not to mention have fun doing something that's never been done before!

To register please visit: http://earnedsickdayspostcards.eventbrite.com/

For more information about this event contact Jasmine Rivera of ACTION United at jmrivera@gm.slc.edu.

Come be part of this historic event!

Help Us Pack Council Session to Show the Full Support for Earned Sick Days

Help us greet City Council members as they enter Session and then help us pack the Hearing Room to show the importance of this bill. You can enter City Hall at the north-east corner and remember to bring a picture ID.

WHEN: May 26, 2011* 9:00 AM
WHERE: 4th Floor, Philadelphia City Hall

*Please note, if you cannot come on May 26th or if you would like to come out to support this important bill more than once we will also be at Council Session at City Hall on June 2nd and June 9th.

Even if you have paid sick days remember a majority of restaurant, child care, and health care workers do not—the lack of paid sick days in Philadelphia impacts us all!

To register for this event visit: http://earnedsickdayscouncilsession.eventbrite.com/

To learn more about the need for earned sick time visit http://earnedsickdaysphilly.com or contact
Kate Scully at kscully@pathwayspa.org or 610-543-5022 x255.

Economists Say Paid Sick Days Will Help Philadelphia Make Progress Towards Economic Recovery

2011-05-20T11:11:00.001-04:00

Philadelphia -- In an open letter to Philadelphia City Council, a group of Pennsylvania economists make the case to Philadelphia lawmakers that "providing a minimum floor of paid sick days is the kind of policy we should be promoting to improve employee retention, minimize layoffs, promote work-life integration, encourage re-joining the work force, and help our local labor market and economy recover."

The letter (attached/below) was crafted by respected economists and labor experts that include: Lonnie Golden, Stephen Herzenberg, Ebru Konger, Mark Price, David Ross, Benjamin Kohl, Roger Even Bove and Sanford Shram.

The economists strongly urge Council to "protect and promote the health of Philadelphia’s workers, businesses and economy and vote to pass Bill No. 080474, the Promoting Healthy Families and Workplaces ordinance."

In addition to pointing out some of the most important benefits of earned sick days (public health, preventable firings, presenteeism, reduced turnover and increased productivity) , the Pennsylvania and Philadelphia Area economists cite a February study evaluating the five-year old paid sick days law in San Francisco that " found that six in seven employers there say that paid sick days have had no negative effect on profitability or businesses growth and two-thirds of employers surveyed support the law. Other studies have shown that employees are healthier and more productive when they have access to paid sick days. Business owners’ fears of coverage problems or cost escalation appear to be unfounded."

These unfounded fears were further debunked earlier this month when the accounting firm PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC) produced a new report analyzing the world’s best cities for business and named San Francisco the third best city for business and innovation globally.

Dereck Thompson, Associate Editor of The Atlantic said, in a May 6, 2011, column, that among the surprises in the PWC report was the fact that " This is San Francisco's first year in the study and it finished third overall, beating London, Paris, Sydney and Tokyo. San Francisco is known as having more progressive social policies like paid sick leave, but it really held its own as a business center that attracts entrepreneurs."

Background:

Promoting Healthy Families and Workplaces Act (Bill 080474) is a bill that would allow Philadelphia workers the opportunity to earn up to 7 days of sick time per year. It was voted out of the Public Health and Human Services Committee on March 1, 2011. The bill could affect up to 200,000 workers in Philadelphia who do not have access to paid sick days.

With over 40 percent of Philadelphians lacking earned sick days, a large portion of the population cannot take the time off work to go see a doctor or obtain medical treatment - regardless of the medical coverage they have.

Employees with earned sick days are more likely to stay home when they are sick, limiting the spread of the illness and protecting co-workers, customers, or anyone else they meet during the work day. During the height of the H1N1 pandemic, people were urged to stay home if they had any signs of the flu, however, those without earned sick days were less likely to stay home because they could not afford to. As a result, nearly 8 million H1N1 cases were traced back to employees going to work while sick.

Come Have Fun at Our Blog Carnival!

2011-05-18T11:19:00.001-04:00

Next week, MomsRising will be working with the coalition to hold a "blog carnival" for paid sick days.

What's a blog carnival? A blog carnival is a collection of blogposts on one topic. It brings together the latest research, analysis and personal reflection and stories to offer readers and decision makers an easy reference on the topic. It also offers authors a wider readership for their work, and additional social media promotion to spread the word farther together than we could alone.

MomsRising will promote blogs via Twitter and Facebook. They're hoping our partners (like you!) will also help promote the blog carnival and they'll also be tweeting blog posts directly to key reporters and City Council members. Content can be long or short, from 3 paragraphs to 30 paragraphs, and in between. You can even set up a blog profile at MomsRising and put your blog up on their website as well!

We will be doing a phone call for the blog carnival on May 18 at 2 PM.
Dial in: 605-475-4000
Passcode: 708733#

Please join us, and let anita@momsrising.org know if you plan to blog and/or join the call. Also, please feel free to pass this on to any bloggers that you know would want to take part.

Read Stories from "Moms Know Best: Even an Apple a Day Can't Keep the Doctor Away"

2011-05-16T13:05:00.000-04:00

When we delivered apple baskets to City Council members last week, we also delivered an important story book put together by MomsRising with the help of Coalition members. Now you can read "Moms Know Best: Even an Apple a Day Can't Keep the Doctor Away" and learn the stories of Philadelphians who are working without sick days.

Here are a few examples:

I’ve got the ﬂu right now. I missed work on Friday and my boss made it very clear that this put me on shaky ground. I’ve had a fever of around 102 for days now, and I’m missing work today as well. I fully expect to be ﬁred as a result of this.

Paid sick days would make a huge difference – but also simply not getting ﬁred because I *do* get sick would be great. Not like I decided to get sick on purpose –
what exactly am I supposed to do about this?

Intolerance for health problems in the work place is absurd. I’m glad there’s a handful of people that never seem to get sick - but the rest of us do, and this shouldn’t be grounds for dismissal. - Akire

***

It is not fair to work without sick days. I got sick badly with a doctors note for a week and did not get paid. I was backed up on bills. - Carmen

***

I am a mother with two sickly children and my last employer didn’t have paid sick leave, so now I am home taking care of my children and having the system take care of us. - Thelma

Please read the stories and let others know about the need for paid sick days.

"Workers Need Opportunity to Earn Sick Days" - Letter to the Editor

2011-05-13T14:08:00.000-04:00

To the editor:

As any parent, teacher, school nurse or daycare provider knows, children frequently get sick. And when they do, sitting in school doesn’t help them get better, they need to be home with a parent.

Also, when children with communicable diseases stay home, it can break the chain of contagion. No parent wants their child to be in a classroom where there is a child with pink eye, a fever, or nausea and vomiting.

Having been a school nurse for 29 years in the Philadelphia Public School System, I witnessed time and time again children who came to school sick because their parents had to work and couldn’t afford to take the day off to spend time helping their children get better. Asthmatic children who came to school wheezing sometimes had to be sent to the emergency room by ambulance. Children with red, watery eyes frequently turned out to have pink eye. A student who just “looked tired” at home turned out to have a high fever with a strep throat. And a child who had a stomachache and vomited the night before turned out to have pneumonia. All of these children should have been taken to the doctor but their working parents would have lost a day’s pay.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children have 17 well-child visits between ages 2 and 21. However, fewer than half of U.S. children are receiving adequate care.

Preventive care visits are tough enough to make happen. The Drum Major Institute for Public Policy’s Amy Traub estimates that more than two in five Philadelphia workers are not able to earn paid sick time to care for their own illness – and many more can’t take sick time to care for a child.

Furthermore, children with chronic conditions such as asthma, or diabetes need follow-up appointments to adjust medications and evaluate treatments, especially when first diagnosed. Once the adjustments to their medications, blood tests, etc. are made, their care can become routine, they miss less time from school, and their parents miss less time from work. Children whose parents don’t have paid time often have to obtain care for their children on a catch-as-catch-can basis. This can result in frequent exacerbations of a chronic condition, that include prescriptions that aren’t refilled, and risks to life and health.

Making the decision to stay home with a sick child when it means losing a day’s pay or possibly losing one’s job is an impossible choice.

This can change in Philadelphia. Philadelphia City Council can pass Promoting Healthy Families and Workplaces (Bill No 080474) before they leave for the summer. Introduced by Councilman William Greenlee and Councilman Darrell Clarke, this bill guarantees workers the ability to earn paid sick days.

Depending on the size of the business, workers will be allowed to earn 4-9 sick days one-hour-at-a-time for every 30 hours worked.

An hour of earned sick time for every thirty hours worked will help keep our children healthy, and keep our workers focused on work when they are working, and caring for their children when they need to be with their children.

Earned sick days for Philadelphia workers is common sense.

Diane Mohney

Editor’s note: Germantown resident Diane Mohney is a Certified School Nurse.

This letter was published in the Germantown Chronicle/ Mt. Airy Independent.

Earned Sick Days: How About THEM Apples? Philadelphia City Council Greeted this morning with Baskets of Hand-written Letters, Apple-O-Grams and Storybooks in Support of Earned Sick Days

2011-05-12T12:16:00.000-04:00

Earned Sick Days: How About THEM Apples?
Philadelphia City Council Greeted this morning with Baskets of Hand-written Letters, Apple-O-Grams and Storybooks in Support of Earned Sick Days

"We should not be forced into a position where we get behind on rent or bills because we're being good moms." - Linda Montgomery

Philadelphia -- 17 baskets of apples, storybooks and over 700 handwritten letters labeled with the names of Philadelphia City Council Members lined the hallway outside of Philadelphia City Council Chambers this morning greeting council members before their Thursday 9:30 am caucus.

“Two out of five Philadelphia employees are not allowed by their employers to earn sick days,” said MomsRising Executive Director Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner. “When a worker has to choose between going to work sick and losing a day’s pay to stay home sick or with sick kids, it compromises families’ economic security and the public’s health. We hope the Philadelphia City Council won’t be a bad apple – Philadelphia workers need this bill!”

MomsRising.org is an online and on-the-ground grassroots organization that supports family-friendly policies. MomsRising, with the help of WOMENS WAY, PathWays PA and the Campaign for Working Families created “Apple-o-grams” – apples with messages from local MomsRising members to Council urging Members to support a bill that would guarantee workers the ability to accrue earned sick days. Accompanying the apples was a booklet with personal messages from local families and stories about the need for paid sick days.

MomsRising is a member of the Philadelphia Earned Sick Days Campaign a project of the over 80 member Philadelphia Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces. The coalition wants Council to pass the Promoting Healthy Families and Workplaces Act (Bill 080474). The bill was voted out of the Public Health and Human Services Committee on March 1, 2011. As amended, the bill allows Philadelphia workers the opportunity to earn up to 7 days of sick time per year. The bill could affect up to 200,000 workers in Philadelphia who do not have access to paid sick days.

“All Philadelphians should be guaranteed the right to take time off from work when they are sick or when a family member is sick,” said Councilman Bill Greenlee a co-sponsor of the bill. “Often the decision is whether to get paid or stay home and risk losing ones job. It is those left with this tough decision who need our help the most. I look forward to this important piece of legislation becoming law in Philadelphia.”

Coalition member, Action United (AU), is a membership organization of 48,000 low and moderate income Pennsylvanians working to build power through organizing communities to win changes on the issues like good public schools, living wage jobs, and quality, affordable health care. AU has been going door-to-door across the City talking to residents about the earned sick days bill. Action United has been going door-to-door getting letters from Philadelphians who want to see this bill passed.

Elizabeth Lasiter, a RN who lives in Strawberry Mansion and canvasses with Action United, said, "The response we are getting at the doors of working class Philadelphians is extraordinary. People need this common sense legislation. Heads nod up and down when we tell folks that there's a bill pending in City Council that, if passed, will give working families the earned sick days they deserve."

Mariko Franz, a working mother who came to City Hall to help deliver apples, story books and letters to members of City Council, said, "I am here to show my support for the Promoting Healthy Families and Workplaces Act. As a working mother, paid sick days have become that much more important - not only for the economic stability of my family, but for our mental and emotional wellness as well."

"It's an incredible strain on a family such as mine where neither myself nor my husband have paid sick days," continued Franz. " We agonize over who can more afford to take a day off work when we need to stay home to care for our daughter. I know there are vast number of families out there for whom missing one day of work can risk their job or financially ruin them. As families continues to struggle during this prolonged economic recession, the Promoting Healthy Families and Workplaces Act is a small step towards alleviating the burden that many of these families face."

Linda Montgomery lives in South Philadelphia and made sure she could join Action United, MomsRising and the Coalition.

"I'm being paid to care for others while no one else cares for me," said Linda Montgomery. "I'm in support of the earned sick days bill because it is unbelievable that anyone should not have this basic benefit. There have been times in my life when I did not have paid sick days, and as a mother it made it difficult for me to financially support my family. Children get sick. As mothers, we need to take care of our children. We should not be forced into a position where we get behind on rent or bills because we're being good moms."

"Mothers Gather at Childspace to Support Earned Sick Days"

2011-05-11T10:36:00.000-04:00

The Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces is trying to get legislation passed that would allow Philadelphia workers to accrue earned time off for being sick or taking care of sick children.
By Zach Subar

One by one, mothers, daughters and pregnant women came forward with similar messages at a rally at Childspace Day Care Center on Monday.

They communicated those messages through stories they shared at the gathering. Tioga resident Rebecca Lovelace, whose mother has been in and out of the hospital for the past two years, said she doesn't get time off from one of her jobs—at Dollar General—and fears losing her job if she needs to take time off to care for her condition. Katja Pigur, who is originally from Germany and is the mother of a six-year old, said she is thankful that she has sick days at her job, but said that the number of sick days Americans get pales in comparison to what people in her home country receive. And Aislyn Washington talked about how she hasn't been able to hold a steady job for the past three years because her kids—she has five children under the age of 18, and three more who are older—keep getting sick and she keeps needing to take care of them.

To read the full story, visit the Mt. Airy Patch.

Faith Leaders Sign Letter in Support of Earned Sick Days in Philadelphia

2011-05-10T16:26:00.006-04:00

Below is a letter the Coalition is gathering the signatures of faith leaders supportive of providing all workers in Philadelphia with the opportunity to earn paid sick days. If you are a faith leader and want to add your name to this letter contact Kate Scully at kscully@pathwayspa.org or 610-543-5022 x 255.

Mayor Michael Nutter
City Hall, 2nd Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19107

RE: Promoting Healthy Families and Workplaces Act, Bill No. 080474

Dear Mayor Nutter,

We are writing to urge your support of the Promoting Healthy Families and Workplaces Act (Bill No. 080474), a critical piece of legislation that gives workers the opportunity to earn paid sick days to care for themselves or a loved one.

This bill is tremendously important to people living and working in Philadelphia. It is perhaps, most immediately needed by some of the most vulnerable workers and children in our city. But more broadly, it speaks to the kind of city and community we aspire to be. As members of the faith community in Philadelphia, we would like the opportunity to meet with you the week of May 16th to discuss why.

Chances are each of us will get sick or need to care for a sick family member this year. Not all of us have are able to take time off from work to get better or to care for a sick family member. In Philadelphia, more than two out of every five workers do not have a single paid sick day to care for themselves or a loved one.

Our faith compels us to treat people the way we would like to be treated. Many of us are blessed to be able to stay home to care for our loved ones or ourselves when illness strikes. We are deeply concerned that our members, neighbors, and others with whom we come into contact regularly, such as the cashier at the supermarket, the waiter at the restaurant, or the nurse at the hospital, do not have the opportunity to earn paid sick days. They must continue to work – through contagious colds, fevers, and stomach flus, on pain of lost wages or even lost jobs. Moreover, they cannot take off to care for their sick children or other dependent family members.

Respecting the health and dignity of all human beings is a core religious value for all faith traditions. It should also be a core civic value. The least fortunate among us bear the heaviest burden when they get sick. Less than one-quarter of low wage workers have paid sick days, even though they are the workers who can least afford to lose a day’s pay. Working mothers bear a particularly heavy burden, as they lose pay, promotions, and general financial security when they are penalized for taking time off to care for sick children. The injustice and indignity of having to choose between working while ill and losing a day’s pay – or your job – is a great concern in the faith community and must be addressed.

Workers want to be responsible on the job and be able to care for their families. Our policies lag desperately behind this reality – and Philadelphia families are struggling as a result. We can and must do better – and we will, if we truly value families.

In a city that values families, workers should not have to choose between their jobs and their health or a family member’s health. We urge your strong commitment to Philadelphia’s working families by supporting the Promoting Healthy Families and Workplaces Act and look forward to setting up a time to meet with you to discuss the reasons the faith community supports this bill.

Sincerely,

Rev. Sandy Strauss , Pennsylvania Council of Churches
Rev. Robin Hynicka , Arch Street United Methodist Church
Rev. Michael Caine, Old First Reformed United Church of Christ
Rev. Phyllis Harris, Mt. Pisgah A.M.E. Church
Rabbi Linda Holtzman, Mishkan Shalom
Rev. Linda Noonan, Chestnut Hill United Church
Rev. Robert McClellan, Tabernacle United Church
Rabbi George Stern, Neighborhood Interfaith Movement
Rev. Dennis Spain
Rev. Nancy Jackson, Waters Memorial A.M.E. Church
Pastor Patrick, Redeem Baptist Church
Father Charlie Strollo, Immaculate Conception Parish in Germantown
Rev. Schaunel Steinnagel, Hunger Action Enabled, Presbytery of Philadelphia
Bishop Dwyane Royster, Living Water United Church of Christ
Rev. Jesse W. Brown Jr.
Rev. Chryl Pyrch, Summit Presbyterian Church
Rev. Chester Williams, Chew Belfield Block Association
Deacon Fred Jones
Minister Gladys Majors, Bridging the Gap Ministries
Bishop Leon Cleveland, United for Christ
Pastor Juanita Rivers, Ebenezer Temple
Dr. John Elliott Churchville, Liberation Fellowship Community Development Corporation
Sister Mary Scullion, Project HOME
Rev. Sherry Elliott, Philadelphia Presbytery
Minister Curtis Ghee
Reverend Griffin, Gibson Temple Church Baptist
Reverend Michael Evans, Berean Presbyterian Church
Pastor Hezekiah Lampley, Morning Star Church of God in Christ

Please note the faith leaders affiliations are listed for identification purposes only. In addition more names will be added as support for the bill and this letter continues to grow.

"There Will be a Paid Sick Days Law in the City of Philadelphia"

2011-05-09T21:48:00.001-04:00

A new article on NewsWorks, by Tom McDonald of WHYY, discusses the paid sick days legislation in Philadelphia and work being done to move the bill forward. In a video linked to the story, Councilman Bill Greenlee and Councilman W. Wilson Goode, Jr., speak about the bill, with Councilman Goode stating that "There will be a paid sick days law in the city of Philadelphia."

To read the whole story, visit Newsworks.org.

For Mother's Day, Moms want Philadelphia City Council to give them Earned Sick Days

2011-05-09T10:23:00.000-04:00

For Immediate Release:
May 9, 2011

Contact:
Lauren Townsend 215-939-7621
Earned Sick Time Campaign
Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces

For Mother's Day, Moms want Philadelphia City Council to give them Earned Sick Days

Mothers to Speak TODAY, May 9th at 3 pm about Importance of Sick Days

to Take Care of Children and Elderly Parents

“My husband’s family lives in Puerto Rico while mine lives in Germany, leaving us without the kinship-care support we would need in emergency situations. The school’s policy requires a sick child be picked up within an hour of calling the parents. Since we both have paid sick days, my husband and I are able to leave work and pick him up. We can be responsible and caring parents without having the fear that we could lose our jobs or critical pay just because our child needs us.“ - Philadelphia mother, Katja Pigur (son is 6 years old)

WHAT:
Today at 3 pm, Philadelphia mothers will talk about good parenting and why earned sick days are critical in the lives of working parents who sometimes need to be home with sick children to help them get well. The participating moms support the Promoting Healthy Families and Workplaces Act (Bill 080474), a bill that would allow Philadelphia workers the opportunity to earn up to seven days of sick time per year.

WHO:
Philadelphia Mothers scheduled to speak on Monday include:

Aislyn Washington, mother of 5 from Germantown who recently lost her job because she didn't have paid sick days
Sarah Friedman, expectant mother from Mt Airy
Kenyette Barnes-Higgs, mother of a 5 year-old and a 2 ½ year old
Katja Pigur, mother of a 6 year old boy who is thankful for her paid sick days
Rebecca Lovelace, resident of Tioga who does not have sick days and has a mother who needs care

WHEN:
TODAY, Monday, May 9, 2011 at 3:00 PM

WHERE:
Childspace Day Care Center - 13 E. Mount Pleasant Ave. Philadelphia 19119 (corner of Germantown Ave. and Mt. Pleasant Ave)

Background:
Promoting Healthy Families and Workplaces Act (Bill 080474) is a bill that would allow Philadelphia workers the opportunity to earn up to seven days of sick time per year. It was voted out of the Public Health and Human Services Committee on March 1, 2011. The bill could affect up to 200,000 workers in Philadelphia who do not have access to paid sick days.

With over 40 percent of Philadelphians lacking earned sick days, a large portion of the population cannot take the time off work to go see a doctor or obtain medical treatment - regardless of the medical coverage they have.

Employees with earned sick days are more likely to stay home when they are sick, limiting the spread of the illness and protecting co-workers, customers, or anyone else they meet during the work day. During the height of the H1N1 pandemic, people were urged to stay home if they had any signs of the flu, however, those without earned sick days were less likely to stay home because they could not afford to. As a result, nearly 8 million H1N1 cases were traced back to employees going to work while sick.

-30-

Pop quiz: What's better than an apple a day?

2011-05-05T09:55:00.001-04:00

Answer: Earned sick days! Moms know: Even an apple a day won't keep the doctor away. That's why Philadelphians need earned sick days.

Next Thursday, May 12, the Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces and MomsRising will deliver "apple-o-grams" to every member of the Philadelphia City Council along with personal stories and notes from people like you about the importance of earned sick days.

Can you add your short note now that we'll deliver on an apple-o-gram on Thursday? http://action.momsrising.org/sign/psd_philly_apple/

Not sure what to write? Short notes from you like the following would be very helpful right now: "I don't know what I'd do without earned sick days," "If I had earned sick days, then it would make a big difference because I could stay home when I (or my child) was sick," or "Please pass earned sick days so people don't send their kids to school sick."

Add your quick note now to our apple-o-grams and we'll make sure it gets hand delivered next week! http://action.momsrising.org/sign/psd_philly_apple/

Earned sick days are good for working families, for public health, and for business. Earned sick days would help contain health care costs through prevention, early detection, and treatment of illness. With earned sick days, families will not be forced to send sick children to school where they will likely infect classmates and teachers; workers with earned sick days would not spread illness to their coworkers and customers.

Providing earned sick days turns out to be smart business too because it increases employee morale, productivity at work, and reduces costly turnover.

Everyone gets sick. When we're worried about our kids' health or our own health, we shouldn't also have to worry if we'll still have a job when we get better.

*Add your personal note to our apple-o-gram and we'll hand deliver it next Thursday, May 12. http://action.momsrising.org/sign/psd_philly_apple/

And please forward this email to your friends and family so they can share their experiences too!

Together, we are a powerful force for women and families!

P.S. Want to join us for the apple-o-gram delivery on Thursday, May 12? Email me at Ruth@MomsRising.org to RSVP!

Join Us at a Mother's Speakout on May 9!

2011-05-03T11:00:00.001-04:00

"Sick Days for Healthy Recovery" - OpEd in Philadelphia Business Journal

2011-04-29T15:01:00.000-04:00

Guest Comment
Sick days for healthy recovery
Philadelphia Business Journal - by Eileen Appelbaum and Lonnie Golden

The most recent national jobs reports show improvements in the labor market, but the employment gains and the falling unemployment rate are still largely the result of a decline in layoffs and firings of workers.

Hiring remains weak as the latest government report on job openings and labor turnover shows. In a job market still facing challenges, reducing the number of workers who are laid off or fired is essential to building a healthier labor market, strengthening the recovery and spreading its benefits. Mandating paid sick days is one policy that will help employers keep workers in jobs.

To read the full story, please visit The Philadelphia Business Journal's website.

Philadelphia Public School Nurses Lament Children Coming to School Sick When They Should Be At Home Getting Well

2011-04-29T13:50:00.000-04:00

For Immediate Release:
April 28, 2011

Contact:
Lauren Townsend 215-939-7621
Earned Sick Time Campaign
Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces

Philadelphia Public School Nurses Lament Children Coming to School Sick When They Should Be At Home Getting Well

As any parent, teacher, school nurse or daycare provider knows, children frequently get sick. And when they do, sitting in school doesn’t help them get better, they need to be home with a parent. When children with communicable diseases stay home, it can break the chain of contagion.

“No parent wants their child to be in a classroom where there is a child with pink eye, a fever, or nausea and vomiting,” said Diane Mohney, RN. “Having been a school nurse for 29 years in the Philadelphia Public School System, I witnessed time and time again children who came to school sick because their parents had to work and couldn’t afford to take the day off to spend time helping their kids get better.”

Diane Mohney was one of several public school nurses who met this afternoon at a South Philadelphia diner to talk about children coming to school sick when they should be home getting well. The meeting between nurses and the media was convened by the Philadelphia Campaign for Earned Sick Days, a project of the Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces.

Mohney continued, "Asthmatic children who came to school wheezing sometimes had to be sent to the emergency room by ambulance. Children with red, watery eyes frequently turned out to have pink eye. A student who just “looked tired” at home turned out to have a high fever with a strep throat. And a child who had a stomachache and vomited the night before turned out to have pneumonia. All of these children should have been taken to the doctor, but their working parents would have lost a day’s pay.   

Mohney was joined by Lorraine Durkin, Francesca Hoeffel, Gwen Robbins and Lynnette Lazerus who are each RNs working as Philadelphia Public School nurses.

Lorraine Durkin, RN, said, "I'm the school nurse at the Franklin Learning Center. I've been there for 19 years. It's a special admission high school accepting students throughout the City, and they often come in sick, or with pink eye, or some other contagious illness. When questioned, it's because the parent cannot stay home with them, or cannot leave work without fear of being fired. The school is often very far from the home increasing the amount of time necessary to pick up the student.

"Almost every day," continued Durkin, "I speak to a parent begging me to send a student home alone, because they cannot leave work -- its heartbreaking. Of course we're not allowed to let them leave alone, especially when sick. The result is too many students in school and classes with a contagious condition. When the parents come in, I'm often asked to write a note saying that it was necessary for the parent to leave their job. Parents should have a right to care for their children when sick!"

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children have 17 well-child visits between ages 2 and 21. However, fewer than half of US children are receiving adequate care (Chung P., et al. (2006, April). Preventive Care For Children In The United States: Quality and Barriers. Annual Review of Public Health).

Preventive care visits are tough enough to make happen. The Drum Major Institute for Public Policy’s Amy Traub estimates that more than two in five Philadelphia workers are not able to earn paid sick time to care for their own illness – and many more can’t take sick time to care for a child.

Furthermore, children with chronic conditions such as asthma, or diabetes need follow-up appointments to adjust medications and evaluate treatments, especially when first diagnosed. Once the adjustments to their medications, blood tests, etc. are made, their care can become routine, they miss less time from school, and their parents miss less time from work. Children whose parents don’t have paid time often have to obtain care for their children on a catch-as-catch-can basis. This can result in frequent exacerbations of a chronic condition, that include prescriptions that aren’t refilled, and risks to life and health.   

Making the decision to stay home with a sick child when it means losing a day’s pay or possibly losing one’s job is an impossible choice.   

This can change in Philadelphia. The Philadelphia City Council can pass Promoting Healthy Families and Workplaces (Bill No 080474) before they leave for the summer. Introduced by Councilman William Greenlee and Councilman Darrell Clarke, this bill guarantees workers the ability to earn paid sick days. Depending on the size of the business, workers will be allowed to earn 4-9 sick days one-hour-at-a-time for every 30 hours worked.  

An hour of earned sick time for every thirty hours worked will keep our children healthy and keep our workers focused on work when they are working, and caring for their children when they need to be with their children.

For more information about the Philadelphia Campaign for Earned Sick Days: www.EarnedSickDaysPhilly.com.

Every Parent Wants to Protect Their Children

2011-04-28T16:55:00.000-04:00

Every parent wants to protect their children, no matter how old they get, but my daughter was faced with a horrible choice, and it was my fault. She had to choose between staying in the hospital waiting for word about my status in the Intensive Care Unit (which would make her lose her job) or going to work and facing the possibility that I could die while she was ringing people up at the check-out counter.

Going to work or caring for an ailing mother is a choice no one should have to make.

That's why I'm joining with the Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces in calling for paid sick days for anyone employed in the City of Philadelphia.

Not only has my daughter already confronted this ugly choice, but she's going to have to do it again and again in the near future because I'm facing heart surgery and a possible diagnosis of breast cancer.

But this isn't just about me and my family. Over 40 percent of Philadelphia's workers don't have the ability to earn paid sick days either. So whether it is the need to care for an ailing elder, or a sick child, or for oneself, there are thousands of people facing the choice of caring for themselves or their family and losing their job.

I'll be honest with you, that's not how it should work in America. But now Philadelphia has an opportunity to lead the way in how it *should* work! Click here and join me in supporting paid sick time for all employees in Philadelphia. Because it's like I told the City Council:

"Even if I have to use my last breath to get [a policy] passed, I will do it!"

You can tell the Mayor and the City Council that you want a paid sick days policy too! Just click here and sign the petition!

In solidarity,

Barbara Lovelace,
North Philadelphia

Advisory: A Conversation with Philadelphia Public School Nurses TODAY 4/28

2011-04-28T11:50:00.002-04:00

Contact: Lauren Townsend 215-939-7621
Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces

A Conversation with Philadelphia Public School Nurses
TODAY 4/28

Nurses will share their experiences and talk about sick children coming to school when they should really be home getting well.

"Having been a school nurse for 29 years in the Philadelphia Public School System, I witnessed time and time again children who came to school sick because their parents had to work and couldn’t afford to take the day off to spend time helping their kids get better. Asthmatic children who came to school wheezing sometimes had to be sent to the emergency room by ambulance. Children with red, watery eyes frequently turned out to have pink eye. A student who just “looked tired” at home turned out to have a high fever with a strep throat. And a child who had a stomachache and vomited the night before turned out to have pneumonia. All of these children should have been taken to the doctor, but their working parents would have lost a day’s pay." Diane Mohney, RN.

WHAT:
Philadelphia Public School nurses (RNs) will talk about their experiences and talk about sick children coming to school when they should really be home getting well. The nurses support the Promoting Healthy Families and Workplaces Act (Bill 080474) is a bill that would allow Philadelphia workers the opportunity to earn up to seven days of sick time per year.

WHO:
Registered Nurses (RNs) working in the Public Schools will include: Diane Mohney, Francesca Hoeffel, Gwen Robbins and Lynette Lazarus.

WHEN:
4:30 PM - Thursday, April 28, 2011

WHERE:
Melrose Diner 1501 Snyder Ave, Philadelphia, 19145
* (we will be sitting at a table and will be on the look-out for members of the press)

RSVP:
Because we are meeting at the Melrose Diner, we would like RSVPs from the press. Please email/call Lauren Townsend at ltownsend4@gmail.com or 215-939-7621 and let Lauren know that you would like to join this important conversation with school nurses. Put "School Nurses" in the subject line.

Background:
Promoting Healthy Families and Workplaces Act (Bill 080474) is a bill that would allow Philadelphia workers the opportunity to earn up to nine days of sick time per year. It was voted out of the Public Health and Human Services Committee on March 1, 2011. The bill could affect up to 200,000 workers in Philadelphia who do not have access to paid sick days.

With over 40 percent of Philadelphians lacking earned sick days, a large portion of the population cannot take the time off work to go see a doctor or obtain medical treatment - regardless of the medical coverage they have.

Employees with earned sick days are more likely to stay home when they are sick, limiting the spread of the illness and protecting co-workers, customers, or anyone else they meet during the work day. During the height of the H1N1 pandemic, people were urged to stay home if they had any signs of the flu, however, those without earned sick days were less likely to stay home because they could not afford to. As a result, nearly 8 million H1N1 cases were traced back to employees going to work while sick.

Op-Ed: Philadelphia City Council should pass the Promoting Healthy Workplaces and Families bill

2011-04-14T22:00:00.001-04:00

By AMANDA S. ARONOFF and CAROL GOERTZEL

What's the greatest asset to employers in this (or any) economic climate?

The answer doesn't involve the latest technology, best ad budget or even its product. The answer is much simpler: The greatest asset that employers have is their workforce.

Savvy employers know their workers are the lifeblood of their business and do their best to provide a safe, healthy working environment that maximizes productivity - and that should include the opportunity to earn paid sick days so an employee can take care of himself or a family member when they get sick. But 40 percent of workers in Philadelphia don't have the ability to earn sick days, forcing them to go to work sick, send their children to school sick or forgo a day's pay or potentially lose their job for taking a day off.

To read the full article, please visit The Philadelphia Daily News website.

New Article: Women Workers' Advocates Push for Sick Days

2011-04-13T20:18:00.000-04:00

Yesterday morning, national and Philadelphia experts on working women briefed members of the news media about why having paid sick days is especially important for working women.

Ellen Bravo, Professor of Women’s Studies at the University of Wisconsin and Executive Director of Family Values @ Work participated in the briefing.

Bravo said, “Women will never see equal pay until they stop being punished for being caregivers. That means policies such as paid sick days, that help women stay employed and have steady earnings.”

To read the whole story, please visit The Philadelphia Daily Record.

Join Us on April 20 to Be Part of Our Paid Sick Days Victory

2011-04-13T10:02:00.000-04:00

Who Needs Paid Sick Days?

We do.

When 2 in 5 Philadelphians can’t earn sick days,

we all get sick.

Over 50 organizations have joined the Coalition to win earned sick days this spring.

Join us on April 20th to be a part of this victory.

WHEN: April 20 - 12:00

WHERE: DC 47, 1606 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA.

A light lunch will be served.

For more information contact Kate Scully at 610-543-5022 x255 or kscully@pathwayspa.org.

Listen to Today's Earned Sick Days/ Equal Pay Press Conference Online!

2011-04-12T15:11:00.002-04:00

This Equal Pay Day, please take the time to hear how the need for earned sick days impacts pay inequity in the workplace. Please share with your friends, and call your City Council members to let them know how important earned sick days are to all families!

Why Earned Sick Days Matter For Working Women and Families

2011-04-12T12:44:00.000-04:00

Contact:
Lauren Townsend 215-939-7621 (c)
Philadelphia Earned Sick Days Campaign

WHY EARNED SICK DAYS MATTER FOR WORKING WOMEN AND FAMILIES

Ellen Bravo: “ Women will never see equal pay until they stop being punished for being caregivers ”

This morning, national and Philadelphia experts on working women briefed members of the news media about why having paid sick days is especially important for working women.

Ellen Bravo, Professor of Women’s Studies at the University of Wisconsin and Executive Director of Family Values @ Work participated in the briefing.

Bravo said, “Women will never see equal pay until they stop being punished for being caregivers. That means policies such as paid sick days, that help women stay employed and have steady earnings.”

Bravo stressed that working mothers often jeopardize their economic wellbeing when they take time off to care for a sick child or elderly parent and do not have paid sick days.

The conference call was moderated by Carol Goertzel, CEO of PathWays PA, who is a founding member of Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces that is pressing for the passage of an Earned Sick Days bill in Philadelphia City Council.

Katherine Black, Director of Health and Safety at the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees District Council 47 and President of the Philadelphia Chapter of the Coalition of Labor Union Women, said, “The fact that women's wages continue to lag behind men's by 23% - and much more for women of color - is just one factor to consider when quantifying women's second class status in the workplace. More than half of all women work in the retail, clerical and service sectors, where they are much less likely to be provided with health care, pensions or paid leave benefits. That means most women's expenses are higher than men's, and their income insecurity and disadvantage extends past their working life all through their retirement years. Having a modest cushion of paid sick days would provide working women with a few more threads in a very frayed employment security safety net.”

"As many as 100,000 working women in Philadelphia don't have access to a single paid sick day at work, " said Amy Traub, Director of Research at The Drum Major Institute for Public Policy. " Because women are more likely to be caregivers for sick children, they bear a disproportionate burden from the failure to guarantee paid sick leave to all workers. Our research shows that guaranteeing paid sick leave doesn't harm business growth or job growth -- but the lack of paid leave hits women and their families hard."

Caryn Hunt, President of the Philadelphia Chapter of the National Organization for Women, said, “The wage gap between men and women workers has not narrowed in over 15 years, and that includes throughout the economic boom years. That it takes women 3 months into the new year to equal the pay of men the previous year is outrageous, not just for women, but for their families that increasingly rely on that income. It's simply unfair. In Philadelphia, Earned Sick Time helps the city take a step closer to worker equity as it would primarily effect workers in healthcare and the food service industry which are predominantly women. It has the added virtue of protecting the public health by giving workers the choice to stay home when they or a loved one is sick.”

Background:

Having no sick days is a double-whammy when women still receive 20 - 30 cents less for every dollar a man makes. Missing even one day - particularly for working mothers - can undermine a woman's financial stability.

When care giving responsibilities and jobs collide, women often bear the brunt of the problem:

Half of all working mothers miss work when their child is sick, compared to 30% of working fathers. Of the mothers that miss work, 50% report losing pay when doing so.
Even when women have access to sick days, studies show that mothers are the only demographic group more likely to use sick time to care for someone else than for themselves.
Since women are more likely to bear the burden of care giving AND work in low-wage jobs without sick days, they are also more likely to lose their jobs because of a lack of sick days. This job loss prevents longer job tenure and higher wages, and increases the likelihood of a family growing up in poverty.

Promoting Healthy Families and Workplaces Act (Bill 080474) is a bill that would allow Philadelphia workers the opportunity to earn up to nine days of sick time per year. It was voted out of the Public Health and Human Services Committee on March 1, 2011. The bill could affect up to 200,000 workers in Philadelphia who do not have access to paid sick days.

With over 40 percent of Philadelphians lacking earned sick days, a large portion of the population cannot take the time off work to go see a doctor or obtain medical treatment - regardless of the medical coverage they have.

Employees with earned sick days are more likely to stay home when they are sick, limiting the spread of the illness and protecting co-workers, customers, or anyone else they meet during the workday. During the height of the H1N1 pandemic, people were urged to stay home if they had any signs of the flu, however, those without earned sick days were less likely to stay home because they could not afford to. As a result, nearly 8 million H1N1 cases were traced back to employees going to work while sick.

Faith & Healing Services

2011-04-04T14:10:00.002-04:00

Respecting the health and dignity of all human beings is a core religious value for all faith traditions. This respect includes not just access to health care, but time away from work to recuperate from illness, as well as to tend to ill family members. Yet over 200,000 Philadelphians cannot take a sick day without losing a day’s pay, or even possibly their job. When these workers face an illness in their household, they must choose between the jobs they need and the families they love.

Please join the Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces as they hold "Faith & Healing Services" on weekends in April. The Coalition will be happy to provide relevant worship aids, handouts, and action steps. Members are also available to speak at services.

To join us or for more information, please sign up at http://esdinthepulpit.eventbrite.com/ or call Kate Scully at 610-543-5022 x255.

Dina Yarmus' Comment in Support of Earned Sick Days: "Everyone including restaurant workers deserve sick days."

2011-04-04T14:06:00.001-04:00

My name is Dina Yarmus. I was born and raised in North East Philadelphia. I went to Ursinus college right outside of Philadelphia and this past year have settled in South Philadelphia. My father was a school teacher in Philadelphia’s public schools. My mother was a school nurse. My older sister, my boyfriend and I, like many others in this city are Servers; Restaurant workers.

I, unlike my sister, am one of the lucky ones. I have sick days. I am one of a handful of unionized restaurant workers in this city. I work at Tavern 17 at the Radisson Warwick Hotel and I am a member of a strong and proud Union,Unite Here Local 274.

What does this mean? It means a group of brave workers who worked there before me did something very similar to what we are trying to do right now. They fought for what was right. They fought for people to be treated like human beings. They fought for people to have sick days.

Restaurant work often is long hours without consistent days off. It involves long days on your feet, often doing the work of two people, and the emotional labor of keeping guests happy.

We sometimes need a day off.

We are interacting with many different people and their germs everyday.

We sometimes get sick.

So, I will submit to you three things:

Everyone including restaurant workers deserve sick days.
The public is better served by a social policy that doesn’t pressure working class people to come to work even when they’re sick and talk to you at your tables and touch your food.
Businesses can afford to pay sick days as is evidenced by my own employer that continues to be profitable and even grow despite the recession.

I am proud to be here in support of paid sick days. Thank you.

Press Release: Jefferson University's James Plumb MD, MPH Promotes Earned Sick Day Bill to City Council

2011-03-31T10:00:00.002-04:00

For Immediate Release:
March 31, 2011
Contact:
Lauren Townsend 215-939-7621 (c)

Earned Sick Days Campaign

Philadelphia--Dr. James Plumb, a national public health expert, is deeply concerned about the impact that governmental policy decisions have on his patients in Philadelphia. Plumb is a practicing physician and professor with the Department of Family and Community Medicine and Director of the Center for Urban Health at Thomas Jefferson University and Hospital. He spoke soberly at a news conference this morning sponsored by the Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces held outside the Philadelphia City Council Chambers.

“I am frequently perplexed by the lack of sensible policies that affect the health and well-being of so many citizens; citizens who struggle to make ends meet, raise healthy families, and be responsible employees,” said Dr. Plumb. “In a city with marked racial and ethnic disparities in health outcomes, absence of paid sick leave may be an important factor perpetuating these disparities.”

“When employees go to work sick they are less productive, take longer to get well, and risk infecting their co-workers, “ emphasized Plumb. “These workers are often in jobs that require a high degree of contact with the public – like restaurant workers and caretakers of both children and the elderly. Many illnesses are highly contagious and can spread through the workplace quite easily. About 40% of workers contract the flu from a co-worker. Of the 18 million norovirus (stomach flu) infections nationally, ½ come from ill food service workers.”

In his testimony before Council, Dr. Plumb noted that paid sick days allow families to take time off to care for a sick child or elder in the home. When a child or elderly adult in the home is sick, workers are faced with the decision to stay home and lose pay, or go to work and leave a loved one home alone sick and in a potentially unsafe situation.

Dr. Plumb’s comments were echoed by Dina Yarmus and Tiffany Lomax, who shared their own stories as workers fortunate enough to have sick days.

"Restaurant work involves long days on your feet, often doing the work of two people, and the emotional labor of keeping guests happy," said Yarmus, who works at the Radisson Warwick Hotel. "We interact with many different people and their germs everyday. We sometimes get sick.” Yarmus concluded, “The public is better served by a social policy that doesn't pressure working class people to come to work even when they’re sick and talk to you at your tables and touch your food.”

Tiffany Lomax's need for sick days has more to do with her child than her own illnesses. “Earned paid sick days have been a blessing to me and my 14 year old son as he has severe asthma, allergies and a history of seizures. I work full-time and attend night classes at Temple University and will be applying to law school next year, but before I had sick days, I lost three different jobs due to taking time to care for him. This is an important and necessary bill to support because it will ensure single parents and mothers with sick children can remain gainfully employed as I am. Earned sick days have allowed me to manage my son’s health needs as well as maintain my job.”

The campaign to win Earned Sick Days includes a growing coalition of more than 40 organizations that represent thousands of Philadelphia residents. The Coalition is urging swift passage of a bill that would extend the ability to earn sick time to all Philadelphia residents. The Promoting Healthy Families and Workplaces Act (Bill No. 080474), sponsored by Council members Darrell Clarke and Bill Greenlee, would do just that. As amended, the bill would:

Give all workers in Philadelphia the ability to earn up to nine days of paid sick time per year (five days for small businesses)
Allow workers to use that time to care for themselves, their children, and their family members
Prevent public health risks associated with sick workers
Save employers money due to increased productivity and decreased turnover

The bill passed unanimously through the Public Health and Human Services Committee on March 1. Passage by the full Council is expected later this spring.

Media Advisory: City Council to Hear From Thomas Jefferson University's James Plumb MD, MPH On Why Paid Sick Days are Good for Public Health

2011-03-30T23:10:00.000-04:00

Dr Plumb will be joined by Tiffany Lomax and Dina Yarmus who value their employers' earned sick day policies

WHAT: Public Health and Earned Sick Days Press Conference preceding Council Testimony

WHO:

James Plumb MD, MPH is Professor with the Department of Family and Community Medicine and Director of the Center for Urban Health at Thomas Jefferson University and Hospital.
Tiffany Lomax and Dina Yarmus will attest to why earned sick days contribute to their health and quality of life.

WHEN: 9:30 am TOMORROW/Thursday, March 31, 2011

WHERE: City Hall, 4th Floor, Outside Council Chambers

Background:

Promoting Healthy Families and Workplaces Act (Bill 080474) is a bill that would allow workers the opportunity to earn up to nine days of sick time per year, was voted out of the Public Health and Human Services Committee on March 1. The bill could affect up to 200,000 workers in Philadelphia who do not have access to paid sick days.

With over 40 percent of Philadelphians lacking earned sick days, a large portion of the population cannot take the time off work to go see a doctor or obtain medical treatment - regardless of the medical coverage they have.

Employees with earned sick days are more likely to stay home when they are sick, limiting the spread of the illness and protecting co-workers, customers, or anyone else they meet during the work day. During the height of the H1N1 pandemic, people were urged to stay home if they had any signs of the flu, however, those without earned sick days were less likely to stay home because they could not afford to. As a result, nearly 8 million H1N1 cases were traced back to employees going to work while sick.

Public Comment in Favor of Bill No. 080474: Dr. Jerry Jacobs

2011-03-28T13:52:00.000-04:00

My name is Jerry Jacobs. I received my PhD in Sociology from Harvard University in 1983. I am a professor of Sociology at the University of Pennsylvania, where I have taught for the last 28 years. I have written 5 books, 75 research articles and have received 30 research grants from the National Science Foundation, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation among others.

I specialize in an area called work and family policy. I lead an international scholarly organization in this area with over 4,000 affiliates across the country and around the world. My book, The Time Divide, published in 2004 by Harvard University Press, examined work place policies that enable today’s companies and today’s families to work together effectively instead of being at odds with each other.

I believe that the sick leave policy proposed is a modest but very valuable step in the right direction.

Sick leave policies are supported by the overwhelming majority of Americans. One national poll showed that 89 percent of voters -- 83 percent of Republicans and 94 percent of Democrats – favor paid sick days as a basic employment standard.
This is true become so many of us take sick leave for granted. Most professionals and managers have access to paid sick leave as a basic component of their benefits package. Indeed, most workers in most countries are eligible to take paid sick leave.
Nationally, approximately 40 percent of employees lack paid sick leave.
Many in Philadelphia’s service economy lack sick leave. For example, only 26 percent of food prep workers, waiters and waitresses are eligible for paid sick days, and some of these do not have true access because they have not been working with the restaurant for long enough to be eligible.
Sick workers spread germs and get others sick. This is particularly a problem in restaurants and in retail sales where contact with the public spreads disease rapidly.
During the H1N1 epidemic, those who went to work while sick infected an estimated 7 million co-workers nationally.

Evaluations research of the Paid Sick Leave Ordinance in San Francisco shows that the concerns of the critics are unfounded;

The average worker used only 3 paid sick days during the previous year.
Employees tend to treat sick leave as insurance: they consider it a valuable benefit but save it up to use only as needed.
Black, Latino and low-wage workers benefited the most from the law
Most employers support the law and few report adverse effects.

To summarize, the paid sick leave legislation being considered will represent a valuable step to protect Philadelphia’s workers, Philadelphia’s customers, and Philadelphia’s diners, and will not unduly burden Philadelphia’s businesses.

Earned Sick Days on Action News

2011-03-25T15:16:00.002-04:00

You can check out the clip online!

Wisconsin Courts Rule in Favor of Paid Sick Days as Philadelphia Effort Heats Up

2011-03-24T21:15:00.000-04:00

"I have witnessed food workers who have gone to work with viral hepatitis infecting salad bars, workers coughing with multi-drug resistant tuberculosis, and people going to work with flu like symptoms and fever."
- Dr. Walter Tsou, former Health Commissioner, City of Philadelphia

"Even if I have to use my last breath to get this bill passed, I will do it."
- Barbara Lovelace, Philadelphia resident

PHILADELPHIA -As a great victory for paid sick days in Milwaukee was announced by the courts today, Philadelphia City Council heard stories that should give everyone pause, even if they already have sick days. During today's public comment period, Philadelphians told Council of employees spreading disease to others, of lying alone in intensive care because their daughter could not take off work, and of the overwhelming public support for earned sick days.

"I have witnessed food workers who have gone to work with viral hepatitis infecting salad bars,workers coughing with multi-drug resistant tuberculosis, and people going to work with flu like symptoms and fever." said Dr. Walter Tsou, former Health Commissioner of the City of Philadelphia. "This legislation recognizes that sometimes it is in the best interest of society for workers to stay home. It is also in the interest of society to have a healthy and productive workforce."

For Barbara Lovelace, it was certainly in her best interest for her daughter to have been home when Barbara collapsed in the middle of the street. After going to the hospital and being diagnosed with a heart attack, Barbara entered the intensive care unit. No one knew if Barbara would survive her ordeal - but nevertheless, her daughter was forced to go to work while her mother was in the ICU, or risk losing her job. Barbara is now facing more surgery for her heart, and the potential diagnosis of breast cancer. But, as she told City Council today, "Even if I have to use my last breath to get this bill passed, I will do it."

Across town, church leaders held a briefing for local pastors in the Earned Sick Days bill. Pastors met today to discuss the bill and begin planning for a Paid Sick Days in the Pulpit event in April.

Polls also show strong public support for sick days. "Sick leave policies are supported by the overwhelming majority of Americans," said Dr. Jerry Jacobs, a professor of Sociology at the University of Pennsylvania, who also delivered comments today. "One national poll showed that 89 percent of voters -- 83 percent of Republicans and 94 percent of Democrats - favor paid sick days as a basic employment standard."

Studies in other cities show that both businesses and employees benefit from earned sick days policies. Businesses save money from higher productivity and lower turnover, and workers use paid sick leave responsibly and often do not use all of the time offered to them. A study last month of San Francisco's paid sick days law shows many business concerns about job loss were unfounded, with six in seven employers saying that paid sick days have had no negative effect on profitability and two-thirds of employers surveyed supporting the law.

Promoting Healthy Families and Workplaces Act (Bill 080474) is a bill that would allow workers the opportunity to earn up to nine days of sick time per year. The bill could affect up to 200,000 workers in Philadelphia who do not have access to paid sick days.

Op-Ed Supporting Earned Sick Days in Philadelphia Inquirer

2011-03-24T08:20:00.000-04:00

This boss doesn't mind sick days

By Dewetta Logan

The Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce is fighting a City Council measure that would require businesses to allow their employees to earn paid sick days. Although the past few years have not been easy for area business owners like me, the chamber's contention that a few paid sick days will force businesses to shut their doors is simply not true.

To read the full op-ed, please visit The Philadelphia Inquirer's website.

Media Advisory: Earned Sick Days a Public Health Priority

2011-03-23T16:35:00.002-04:00

Earned sick days a public health priority, says former health commissioner

PHILADELPHIA - On Thursday, March 24, 2011, a well-known public health advocate and the Executive Officer of the Work and Family Researchers Network will join the Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces and others in supporting the proposed City Council bill on earned sick days. Dr. Walter Tsou, MD, MPH, the former health commissioner of the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, plans to speak on behalf of earned sick days during the city's public comment period. Dr. Jerry A. Jacobs, Professor of Sociology at the University of Pennsylvania and Executive Officer of the Work and Family Researchers Network, will also speak on the bill.

Promoting Healthy Families and Workplaces Act (Bill 080474) is a bill that would allow workers the opportunity to earn up to nine days of sick time per year, was voted out of the Public Health and Human Services Committee on March 1. The bill could affect up to 200,000 workers in Philadelphia who do not have access to paid sick days.

With over 40 percent of Philadelphians lacking earned sick days, a large portion of the population cannot take the time off work to go see a doctor or obtain medical treatment - regardless of the medical coverage they have.

Employees with earned sick days are more likely to stay home when they are sick, limiting the spread of the illness and protecting co-workers, customers, or anyone else they meet during the work day. During the height of the H1N1 pandemic, people were urged to stay home if they had any signs of the flu, however, those without earned sick days were less likely to stay home because they could not afford to. As a result, nearly 8 million H1N1 cases were traced back to employees going to work while sick.

Dr. Tsou and Dr. Jacobs will be available to make brief comments and answer questions in City Hall at 9:30am before Council Session begins.

What: Public Health and Earned Sick Days Press Conference

When: Thursday, March 24, 2011

Time: 9:30 a.m.

Where: City Hall, 4th Floor, Outside Council Chambers

Who:

Dr. Walter Tsou, MD, MPH, Former Health Commissioner, Philadelphia Department of Health

Dr. Jerry A. Jacobs, Professor of Sociology at the University of Pennsylvania and Executive Officer of the Work and Family Researchers Network

Letters: A shameful position on sick leave in the city

2011-03-22T18:13:00.000-04:00

Please read the whole letter on The Philadelphia Inquirer's website!

The Chamber of Commerce is trying to stop tens of thousands of working Philadelphians - nearly half of the city's workforce - from getting paid sick days ("Business opposes sick-leave proposal," Friday). It is a shameful position that cannot be justified on moral, public health, or business grounds.

All too often, Philadelphia workers must go to work ill because they can't afford to lose a day's pay when they are barely able to make ends meet and support their family. Responsible businesses understand that no worker should have to choose between losing a day's pay and coming to work sick or not caring for a sick child, and that paid sick days don't harm the economy. When workers come to work sick, they're not at their best and they risk spreading their illness to coworkers and others....

Public Comment in Favor of Bill No. 080474

2011-03-18T15:46:00.001-04:00

Public Comment in favor of Bill No. 080474

Philadelphia City Council

March 17th, 2011

Kistine A. Carolan

Maternity Care Coalition

I would like to start my statement as an individual. My name is Kistine Carolan and I am a resident of Philadelphia. I left my family and friends and moved here from the Midwest 7 years ago to pursue a Master’s Degree in Social Work. I had every intention to leave upon completion of my degree. However, I fell in love with Philly and so found work in a 6-month internship immediately after graduating. I worked for $12 an hour with no benefits. The only thing I could afford was hope that I wouldn’t get sick.

One morning I woke up with an odd sensation. I brushed it off as sleepiness. Once I got to work though, there was no room for denial. Each co-worker confirmed that, for the first time in my life, I had pink eye. My co-workers and supervisor were eager to get me out of the office, my very pink eyes clearly unsettling them. While I did not formerly have sick time, my organization allowed me the day off to seek treatment. I spent the entire day seeking that treatment. Without health insurance I went to the Health Centers. I am grateful they exist. I spent 6 hours in the waiting room before I had the chance to meet with a doctor for 30 seconds who, not unsurprisingly, took one look and wrote me a prescription.

Most illnesses are not as visible as pink eye but are similarly contagious. The irony is that I would guess that if we became green with the flu and purple with a nasty cold, we wouldn’t be arguing whether to allow sick days. Businesses, especially restaurants, would have some of the most progressive policies on shooing sick workers out the door so they wouldn’t drive away customers. As it is now, however, restaurants do not need to have concern for their customer’s health. The invisibility of sickness is no excuse for allowing ill employees to infect co-workers, vulnerable children and senior citizens they care of, or restaurant go-ers whose food they closely interact with.

As a representative of my employer, Maternity Care Coalition, we would like to stress the positive impact this bill will have on families and, in particular, women. According to national research, working women are the primary caregivers of young children, with four in five mothers indicating that they are responsible for accompanying children to doctor’s appointments. Half of working mothers miss work when their child gets sick. Of these, half do not get paid for that time off. Women continue to receive lower pay than men in equal positions. Moreover, 2/3 of low-wage workers do not receive paid sick days and women make up the majority of that workforce. This data makes clear that the lost pay coupled with increased responsibilities for the health of young children is an unfair burden on the women of Philadelphia.

Children in our city would benefit from this law as well. When children become seriously ill, studies show that they recover faster when cared for by their parents. The mere presence of a parent shortens a child’s hospital stay by 31%.

A vote for this bill is a vote for mothers, children, low-wage workers, and the consumers of Philadelphia. I urge you to immediately vote on and pass the Promoting Healthy Families and Workplaces Act.

Kistine Carolan is the Community Engagement Coordinator with Maternity Care Coalition, a member of the Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces. If you are interested in commenting on the earned sick time bill please email kscully@pathwayspa.org.

Small Business Owners Speak Out for Earned Sick Time

2011-03-15T12:27:00.000-04:00

PHILADELPHIA - Small business owners, members of the Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces and a member of the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, shared their support for the proposed earned sick day bill (Bill No. 080474) at a roundtable discussion today. Support is shared by over 20 businesses and 30 Coalition members located throughout Philadelphia. The bill, which would allow workers the opportunity to earn up to nine days of sick time per year, was voted out of the Public Health and Human Services Committee last Tuesday. The bill could affect up to 200,000 workers in Philadelphia who do not have access to paid sick days.

"I want to make sure I have happy, healthy employees," said Lisa Gregg-Alexander, owner of the Whispering Leaves Herb and Sip Shop in University City. Greg-Alexander, a former police officer, recently received a $5000 investment from the Enterprise Center Business Plan Competition for her business plan, which included earned sick time and paid vacation days for her employees. "If you're in a miserable situation, you create misery if you're feeling sick, or feeling down, you pass that on. That's not good for business."

The small business owners who hosted the roundtable included retail stores, restaurants and childcare providers from different areas of Philadelphia. Some of the businesses already provide paid sick days to their employees and others are exploring the possibility.

Square Peg Artery and Salvage owner Jennifer Harrison and member of the Chamber of Commerce held the roundtable at her shop in Center City. Harrison provides earned sick time for her employees and provides additional support for the 260 local artists who sell wares through her shop.

Harrison recounted a story of being a young worker without paid sick days. "I was only 24, and I temporarily lost my vision when I had shingles," she said. "On top of the stress of being sick, I was worried about my job. My boss told me to take two weeks off, but to give him a call in two weeks to find out whether or not he still had a job for me."

New research on paid sick day laws in other cities shows significant benefits for workers and minimal impact on businesses. A study last month of San Francisco's paid sick days law shows business concerns about job loss were unfounded, with six in seven employers saying that paid sick days have had no negative effect on profitability and two-thirds of employers surveyed supporting the law. Other studies have shown that employees are healthier and more productive when they have access to paid sick days.

"Taking care of children is the priority for me and my staff, and we simply can't do our best when we're sick," said Dewetta Logan, owner of the Smart Beginnings Early Learning Center, a childcare center in West Philadelphia. Logan's staff of seven earns five sick days a year. "Providing sick days to my staff is about respect, and it's about smart business."

The Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces is a group of organizations supporting the need for earned sick time in Philadelphia and Pennsylvania.

More information can be found at earnedsicktime.blogspot.com.

Guest Post: Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce Cries Wolf Over Earned Sick Days

2011-03-11T14:18:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, the Daily News published an ominous Chamber of Commerce op-ed piece, warning against the earned sick days bill passed out of committee last week. The article prophesized a disturbing mass of unintended consequences: job losses, shuttered businesses, and slashed benefits.

Sound familiar?

It should. Business groups routinely oppose new worker-friendly legislation—from the minimum wage to family leave—with apocalyptic economic rhetoric. The Philadelphia business lobby’s opposition to the earned sick days bill, which would allow workers to earn five to nine annual paid sick days, is nothing new.

Rather than just making fretful predictions, we should look at empirical evidence gathered from successfully implemented paid sick leave bills. San Francisco’s earned sick leave law, which the Philadelphia bill is based on, has received accolades from both employers and workers. Guaranteed sick pay has had no discernable impact upon employment in the city, while profits and benefits have only been marginally affected.

A recent study by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR), based on interviews with over 700 employers, shows San Francisco businesses reporting overwhelmingly positive experiences with the new law. Two out of every three firms labeled themselves “supportive” or “very supportive”. The lowest levels of support were found in sectors where paid sick leave was less common before the law, like food service and retail, but even 60 percent of those employers approved of the measure. Over 70 percent reported that the law had no impact on their profitability.

Philadelphia business lobbyists specifically warn that guaranteed sick leave will cost workers benefits and jobs. But the IWPR study found that only 14.1 percent of San Francisco employers reduced compensation and benefits to accommodate the law, mostly through converting vacation days to sick leave (7.1 percent) or reducing bonuses and raises (7.1 percent). These miniscule numbers are well worth the 16 point bump in sick pay coverage the city experienced, especially among food service workers (who represent a danger to public health if they bring an illness to work).

A 2010 study by the Drum Major Institute shows that San Francisco’s paid sick leave law didn’t cause significant job losses in the city either. Despite Bay Area business lobbyist’s doom-and-gloom predictions, the city’s employment level continued to outperform those of the surrounding counties (which include wealthy Silicon Valley)—just as it had before guaranteed paid sick leave. If job killer predictions were accurate, we’d expect to see markedly heavy losses among industries most profoundly affected by the law. But San Francisco-area employment continued to be stronger than the surrounding counties in retail, hospitality and food service industries.

But the Chamber authors argue that Philadelphia can’t be compared to San Francisco. Apparently, we’re a special case due to “a high tax burden”, “a tough regulatory climate” (no specific numbers are mentioned) and unusually high unemployment (Philadelphia’s unemployment rate is little more than a point higher than the national level, just as it has been for the last decade).

That’s bunk. San Francisco’s labor laws are much tougher than any we have in Philadelphia. Their minimum wage is $9.92, well above Philadelphia’s $7.25. San Francisco businesses are required to pay a certain amount towards employee healthcare programs, or face a tax. If the vast majority of San Francisco employers can handle paid sick leave in the face of requirements like these, then Philadelphia business owners will do just fine.

Business owners tend to be small “c” conservative: Afraid of any change and eager to keep conditions stable, and uncomplicated. That’s fine. But we shouldn’t let their status quo bias prevent us from protecting our citizenry.

Jake Blumgart is a Philadelphia-based researcher with the Cry Wolf Project, funded by the Ford Foundation and the Public Welfare Foundation. His work has been published by the American Prospect, the Philadelphia Inquirer, The Stranger, and Campus Progress.

Small Businesses to Hold Press Conference on Paid Sick Days

2011-03-11T14:00:00.002-05:00

PHILADELPHIA- Small business owners will be holding a round-table conversation on Monday to express their support for the proposed City Council bill on paid sick days. Promoting Healthy Families and Workplaces Act (Bill 080474), a bill that would allow workers the opportunity to earn up to nine days of sick time per year, was voted out of the Public Health and Human Services Committee last Tuesday. The bill could affect up to 200,000 workers in Philadelphia who do not have access to paid sick days.

The small business owners holding the press conference include retail stores, restaurants and childcare providers. Some of the businesses already provide paid sick days to their employees and others are exploring the possibility. Square Peg Artery and Salvage is a boutique in Center City which specializes in selling wares from local artists. Sammiches is a family owned deli and staple in Southwest Philly with two employees. Smart Beginnings Early Learning Center is a childcare facility located in West Philadelphia with a staff of seven employees each having five paid sick days, which is consistent with the requirements of the earned sick time bill.

What: Small Business Press Conference on Paid Sick Days

When: Monday, March 14, 2011

Time: 11:30 a.m.

Where: Square Peg and Artery and Salvage, 108 S. 20th St.

Who: Small business owners from Square Peg Artery and Salvage, Sammiches, Smart Beginnings Early Learning Center

Earned Sick Days Bill Passes City Council Committee!

2011-03-11T11:08:00.000-05:00

Tell City Council That You Support Earned Sick Days!

Last week, Philadelphia City Council's Committee on Public Health and Human Services unanimously passed a bill supporting earned sick days for all workers in Philadelphia. With this passage, the bill now moves to consideration by the full City Council.

Members of City Council are already hearing from people opposed to the bill. If you support earned sick days, they need to hear from you as well!

In Philadelphia, two in every five workers have no opportunity to earn paid sick time, meaning they must "choose" between the jobs they need and the families they love. When people have no choice but to work sick, they risk infecting others, especially since the people most likely to be without earned sick days are those that handle our food and those that work with vulnerable populations (like children, the elderly, and the sick).

Let City Council know of your support for workers, their families and their communities by supporting earned sick time.

Earned Sick Time Support Letters

2011-03-11T10:15:00.000-05:00

A number of organizations submitted letters to City Council in support of the Promoting Healthy Families and Workplaces Act (Bill No. 080474), which would provide all Philadelphia workers with the opportunity to earn paid sick days.

Thank you to everyone who submitted a letter of support and please email us if you would like to submit your own!

Letter to Mayor Nutter from the Philadelphia Chapter President of the Coalition for Labor Union Women

2011-03-10T17:04:00.000-05:00

Below is a letter from Kathy Black, Chapter President of Philadelphia's Coalition for Labor Union Women, who has been a strong supporter of the Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces. Please send your own letter to Mayor Nutter and send us a copy as well!

Mayor Michael Nutter
City Hall, 2nd floor
Philadelphia, PA 19107

RE: Promoting Healthy Families and Workplaces, Bill #080474

Dear Mayor Nutter:

On behalf of hundreds of union women and men represented by CLUW, I am writing to urge you to change your position and support the above referenced Bill. While I knew you had raised some concerns about the impact of the Bill, I was still surprised when Commerce Director Greenberger voiced your outright opposition at the recent hearing before the Committee on Public Health and Human Services.

I couldn’t help remembering when you and I were allies pushing for passage of your landmark anti-smoking ordinance. Like your bill, this one protects the health of workers and the public. Like your Bill, this one provides protections for the rights of workers against retaliation. And like your Bill, this Bill represents modest and long overdue social advancement.

Many of the arguments the business community used then to oppose your Bill are the same points they are making today. Given the experiences of other cities and all the other industrialized countries of the world with earned sick leave laws, it is clear that the predictions of extreme financial burden on business are overblown.

Perhaps you remember when Councilman Rick Mariano went on a rant on the Council floor, insisting that Joe Driscoll’s business would collapse and his children would starve to death if your anti-smoking ordinance passed. I challenged Councilman Mariano in my testimony, and you and I laughed about how Mr. Driscoll and his family could move to Ireland, already a smoke-free country, where he had a similar, thriving pub.

We know now that Finnegan’s Wake is alive and well, and that implementation of your anti-smoking ordinance was not the cause of mass business collapse or departure. To the great relief of the public, we can all eat in our favorite restaurants without having our lungs polluted, and we are grateful that those serving us are protected from deadly disease. No one complains except the diehard smokers out on the sidewalk, and they get no support. It’s clear to all that passing that law was the right thing to do.

In a few years, we will all feel the same about the Promoting Healthy Families and Workplaces Act. No businesses will have died, but thousands of mothers will have been able to stay home and care for their sick kids without worrying if they can still pay the rent, or if they will have a job to go back to. Contagious disease rates in the city will drop, and our City health clinics will be less crowded. Cities around the country will thank us for having the courage to pass this modest legislation thus making it easier for them to do the same.

Please, Mayor Nutter, take the position on this Bill that is consistent with the values you have espoused in the past. You will obviously suffer no political jeopardy by doing so, and in fact, you will earn the gratitude and appreciation of the 44% of Philadelphians who have no earned paid sick leave, as well as those of us who are fighting for their rights and wellbeing.

Sincerely,

Katherine A. Black
Chapter President

The Coalition of Labor Union Women is a national constituency group of the AFL-CIO, founded in 1974 to address the critical needs of millions of unorganized women and to make our unions more responsive to the needs of their female members, especially women of color. CLUW identifies common problems and concerns of working women and develops action programs to address them.