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Paid Sick Leave:
State Legislation with National Significance
By John Paul Marosy, President
Bringing Elder Care Home LLC
jpmarosy@charter.net
(508) 854-0431
An
interview with Ingrid Nava, Staff Attorney for Greater Boston Legal Services,
one of the organizations working in coalition with others to pass state
legislation that would guarantee paid sick leave for all employees.
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a co-sponsor for one of our popular train-the-trainer conferences
in 2006. We
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Invitation
to Co-Sponsor Ingrid Nava (Nava): This legislation would guarantee every worker in Massachusetts seven paid sick days per year. Paid sick days would be pro-rated for part-time employees (those working fewer than 30 days per week).
The bill covers both public and private sector organizations - and it covers all employers, regardless of size. Quite a large number of employers in the state are smaller employers. And a significant number of low wage workers are employed by small employers.
BECH: How many people would be affected?
Nava: About 47% of all employees in the state currently have no paid sick leave.
BECH: Why is this an important piece of legislation right now?
Nava: There's a growing recognition that there are public health issues associated with lack of paid leave, in general, and with lack of paid sick leave, in particular. "Presenteeism," i.e. people showing for work while sick, is having negative heath effects. There seems to be more political will to address the issue now because of recent studies on presenteeism, the passage of paid family leave in California, and the growth of the "take back our time" movement. There's also increasing attention being paid to the choices available to women in the workforce. All of these factors are heightening awareness.
BECH: Why is this piece of state legislation of national significance?
Nava: In the country, about 49% of workers have no paid sick leave - a level very similar to Massachusetts. Employees around the U.S. are faced with the same untenable choices. And similar bills have been filed in the states of Maryland and Washington. And there is a national bill, submitted by Senator Kennedy, called the Healthy Family Act, with nearly the same provisions as the state bill in Massachusetts.
BECH: Why is paid sick leave important for employees who are involved in elder care?
Nava: Studies show that a majority of elder care is unpaid and is provided by family members, many of whom are working outside the home. Taking parents to the doctor, or therapy appointments puts demands on employees. In Massachusetts, the younger population is declining. Therefore, older workers are an increasingly important component of the labor market - and we need to give them the opportunity to attend to their routine health and family needs.
BECH: How much will it costs employers to implement this bill?
Nava: Research indicates that it will cost the average employer about 35 cents per day per employee.
BECH: What types of groups are a part of the coalition backing this bill?
Nava: The coalition includes elder advocates and women's advocates, as well as labor and public health groups, among others.
BECH: Will implementation of the law require expenditure of state or federal revenues? If so, how much?
Nava: There is no direct state or federal expenditure tied to the bill, except for costs incurred by the state as an employer.
BECH: Which groups are opposed to the bill?
Nava: Associated Industries of Massachusetts is the only group on record in opposition. The retailers association has also expressed opposition.
BECH: What else would you like our readers to know about this paid sick leave legislation?
Nava: The bill is really aimed not at providing a cash benefit, but rather, as a protection - so that workers who need to take a day off because they are sick or because they need to meet a family responsibility will not have to put their jobs at risk or jeopardize their livelihood.
BECH: Does support for or opposition to this bill fall out on strict party lines?
Nava: Interestingly not. We are finding some Republican legislators who support the bill because they have heard from constituents who are affected by the lack of paid sick leave. The bill is currently being considered by the Labor and Workforce Development Committee.
BECH: Where can readers get more information?
They can visit our website at http://www.gbls.org/employment/organizations.html
Another good source of information is the National Partnership for Women and Families. They recently published a report showing what similar bills were filed, state-by-state. The Partnership's web address is www.nationalpartnership.org
Editor's
Note: Many thanks to everyone who responded to our "Readers Take Over"
request for suggestions last month. We received much encouragement and
a number of excellent suggestions for future topics for the Elder Care
/ Work Balance newsletter. Your comments and suggestions are always welcome.
Email me any time at jpmarosy@bringingeldercarehome.com.
What do you think? Take a moment now to send us an e-mail
with your opinion to jpmarosy@bringingeldercarehome.com
We will publish your thoughts in the next issue.
John Paul Marosy
Editor and President,
Bringing Elder Care Home, LLC
John Paul Marosy is the author of Elder Care: A Six Step Guide to Balancing Work and Family, available from Bringing Elder Care Home Publishing online at www.bringingeldercarehome.com or by calling 508-854-0431.
Visit www.bringingeldercarehome.com, call or email to learn how your organization can offer this effective resource: (508) 854-0431, jpmarosy@bringingeldercarehome.com
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