SAMPLE Email Action Alert:
Action Alert: Tell Your Member of Congress: Now is the Time for Paid Sick Days
Dear Supporter,
On Thursday, February 12, federal legislation that would allow workers to earn up to seven
paid sick days will be introduced in Congress and we need you to tell Congress: the time for
a national paid sick days law is right now.
It’s undeniable. Paid sick days legislation is sweeping the country from coast to coast.
Twenty jurisdictions nationwide – three states and 17 cities – have adopted paid sick days
laws. That’s a four-fold increase since the Healthy Families Act was last introduced in
March 2013 and more victories are likely on the way!
However, despite this substantial progress, at least 43 million workers still don’t have
access to a single paid sick day and more than one-third of U.S. states have never passed a
single law recognizing the dual demands of work and family. That’s why your members of
Congress need to hear from you today.
What you can do:
 Contact your members of Congress and ask them to cosponsor the Healthy Families
Act, which would give people the security of earned paid sick days.
 Visit www.WeTweet.org: Enter your zip code to find your Members of Congress
and automatically send a tweet in support of the Healthy Families Act.
 Call the Capitol Switchboard to be connected to your representatives: (202) 224-3121
 Write a letter or send an email: You can find your legislators’ contact information at
www.senate.gov and www.house.gov.
What you should tell your members of Congress:
 The Healthy Families Act would allow workers in businesses with 15 or more
employees to earn up to seven job-protected paid sick days each year to be used to
recover from their own illnesses, access preventive care, provide care to a sick family
member, or attend school meetings related to a child’s health condition or disability.
 Workers in businesses with fewer than 15 employees would earn up to seven jobprotected unpaid sick days each year to be used for the same reasons, unless their
employers choose to offer paid sick days.
 Existing paid sick days laws clearly demonstrate that laws are working well.
 Employers generally favor the laws, and job and business growth rates continue to
rise.
 In short: When people have access to paid sick days, workers and their families,
businesses and the economy do better and everyone has a fair shot at getting ahead
Thank you for being part of this growing movement for paid sick days and for supporting
the Healthy Families Act.
Sincerely,
XXX