Paid Sick Days: The
Time is Now
Vicki Shabo
National Partnership for
Women & Families
EARN Conference 2011
September 13, 2011
More than 40 million workers: no paid
sick time
Percent of Private Sector Workers Without Access to Paid Sick Time
All U.S. Private Sector
37%
Lowest-Paid
Highest-Paid
79%
13%
Service Workers
Prof'l/Mgmt
57%
14%
Part-time
Full-time
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics (7/2011)
73%
25%
Lack of paid sick days means more
sick people at work or school
60%
50%
55%
40%
30%
37%
1.5 times
more
likely
20%
24%
10%
14%
1.7 times
more
likely
0%
Went to work sick
Eligible for paid sick days
Source: NORC/University of Chicago poll (6/2010)
Sent child to school/daycare sick
Not eligible for paid sick days
Economic & Health
Repercussions
» Workers lose pay and risk job loss
~ 23% have lost a job or been threatened with job loss
because of personal or family illness.
» Contagious illnesses spread through workplaces,
schools, and daycares.
~ 8 million people worked sick during just 3 months of the
H1N1 pandemic, infecting an estimated 7 million coworkers
~ Two-thirds of restaurant workers and cooks report
working sick.
When workers stay home, a few unpaid sick
days can jeopardize basic necessities.
Average two-worker family with no paid sick days
Grocery
budget
Transportation
budget
3.1 days 3.5 days
6.7 days
Health care
budget
Family Monthly Budget
Clothing
budget
1.4 days
0
1
2
3
4
5
Number of unpaid sick days
Source: Economic Policy Institute (6/2011)
6
7
Workers without paid sick days are
more likely to go to the ER and take
children or family members to the ER
Responses among adults overall
40%
30%
2 times
more
likely
20%
10%
Responses among parents
with children under 18
5 times
more
likely
35%
20%
10%
7%
0%
Went to emergency room for own
illness
Eligible for paid sick days
Source: NORC/University of Chicago poll (6/2010)
Took child/family member to
emergency room
Not eligible for paid sick days
Fiscal Consequences
» Delayed/forgone preventive care and ER overuse
cause health care costs to rise.
~ Estimated $1 billion in unnecessary ER costs attributed
to lack of paid sick days, with half of the cost accruing to
public programs like Medicaid, SCHIP
» Business productivity suffers
~ “Presenteeism” costs the U.S. economy $160 billion/year
» Unemployment may mean higher public program
usage.
~ Average unemployed person has been searching for new
work for 40 weeks.
Paid sick days national timeline
» 2004: Healthy Families Act (federal) introduced
» 2006: San Francisco (successful ballot initiative)
» 2008: Ohio – ballot initiative qualified, later withdrawn
» 2008: Washington, D.C. (passed in City Council)
» 2008: Milwaukee (initiative passed, but overturned by statute in 2011)
» 2010: New York City – majority City Council support, no vote
» 2011:
~ Connecticut (passed House and Senate; Governor signed)
~ Philadelphia (passed City Council; Mayor vetoed)
~ Seattle (passed City Council in September 2011)
~ Denver (hopeful for passage by ballot measure in November 2011)
Paid sick days in 2011-12:
Federal efforts
» Healthy Families Act: H.R. 1876 / S. 984
~ Sponsors: Rep. DeLauro, Sen. Harkin
~ Up to 7 paid sick days per year for workers in
businesses with 15+ employees
~ Actively gathering co-sponsors
» Other opportunities (reauthorizations, etc)
Paid sick days in 2011:
Seattle City
Council
State/local legislation
and campaigns
Seattle
Wash.
Vt.
Minn.
Maine
N.H.
N.Y.
Wis.
Mass.
NYC
Milwaukee
Conn.
Philadelphia
Ill.
San
Francisco
Calif.
Pa.
N.J.
Denver
Washington, D.C.
N.C.
Ariz.
Philly:
City
Council –
city
contracts
City/State Bill
Introduced or
Active Campaign
Denver
Ballot
Measure:
Nov. 2011
Paid Sick Days
Law Passed
Miami
Hawaii
2012: New Opportunities for
paid sick days?
» Popularity of paid sick days policies make PSD
an attractive issue for strategic progressive fights
» Dovetails with both workers’ rights and health
messaging and policy efforts
» Has potential to boost turnout among voters
sympathetic to labor and other progressive fights
» Has potential to benefit supportive candidates
Paid sick days are a key labor standard
How important do you consider the following standards to
protect workers’ rights?
Source: NORC/University of Chicago poll (6/2010)
A law guaranteeing all workers a minimum
number of paid sick days is highly popular
nationwide
Do you favor or oppose a law guaranteeing all workers a minimum
number of paid sick days to care for themselves or immediate family
members?
75%
Net favor:
+51
24%
Source: NORC/University of Chicago poll (6/2010)
Support is particularly high among
women, African-Americans, and older
people
Do you favor or oppose a law guaranteeing all workers a minimum number
of paid sick days to care for themselves or immediate family members?
% Strongly/Somewhat Favor
64%
Men
88%
Women
White
77%
African-American
90%
Hispanic
75%
73%
81%
78%
85%
Under 40
40-49
50-64
65+
0%
20%
40%
Source: NORC/University of Chicago poll (6/2010)
60%
80%
100%
Majorities of all political affiliations, and
strong majorities of Democrats and
Independents, support a paid sick days law
Do you favor or oppose a law guaranteeing all workers a minimum number of paid
sick days to care for themselves or immediate family members?
Source: NORC/University of Chicago poll (6/2010)
In Connecticut, voters across the political
spectrum express broad support for the new
paid sick days law.
Do you favor or oppose Connecticut’s new law that allows services workers in
businesses with 50 or more employees to earn up to five paid sick days each
year?
All Voters
Key Subgroups
87%
Total favor
73%
70%
63%
61%
Strongly
favor
47%
83%
Total oppose
29%
19%
27%
23%
11%
8%
Favor
Oppose
Source: Hart Research (7/2011)
Democrats
RepubIndependents licans
Men
Women
Voters ascribe positive traits to elected
leaders who support the new law.
Do you agree or disagree that this describes elected officials/organizations
that support the new paid sick days law?
Strongly agree
Protecting public
health by helping sick
workers stay home
76%
21%
32%
66%
29%
More likely to be in touch
with the real-life
challenges of working
people and families
More likely to
share my values
Disagree
46%
Standing up for
people like me and people
I care about
On the right side on
balancing needs of
employers/employees
Somewhat agree
29%
62%
34%
60%
23%
33%
17%
Source: Hart Research survey of Conn. Voters (7/2011)
54%
36%
Senators/Reps who voted FOR the paid sick
day law are consistently viewed more
favorably in the context of the next election.
As you may know, your [state senator/state representative] voted [for/against]
Connecticut's new paid sick days law: Does knowing this make you more or less
favorable toward supporting them in the next election?
State Senator
State House Member
More favorable toward supporting them
Less favorable toward supporting them
59%
55%
54%
54%
+32
23%
Senator voted
for law
+41
-32
22%
Senator voted
against law
18%
Rep voted
for law
Source: Hart Research survey of Conn. Voters (7/2011)
-31
23%
Rep voted
against
law
Nationally, pro-paid sick days candidates are
rewarded while anti-paid sick days candidates are
punished.
Now that you’ve heard arguments for and against paid sick days, if a candidate
for elected office came out in support of/opposition to paid sick days for all
workers, would that make you more or less likely to vote for that
candidate?
Candidate who
supports
+18 net
42% more likely
to vote for
24%
paid sick days
Candidate who
opposes
43%
20%
paid sick days
Much/somewhat less likely to vote
for (darker=much less)
Source: NORC/University of Chicago poll (6/2010)
Much/Somewhat more likely to
vote for (darker=much more)
-23 net less
likely to
vote for
Paid sick days can be used to energize and
engage voters who are often harder to reach in a
policy and electoral context.
When issues like paid sick days that have a direct impact on people are
discussed as part of campaigns and elections, does it make you more
or less likely to pay attention and want to be involved?
All voters
Much more likely
Less likely
22%
25%
More Likely
Income under 69%
$50,000
Women
69%
Non-college
graduates
68%
Not sure
11%
42%
Somewhat more likely
Source: Hart Research survey of Conn. Voters (7/2011)
In Connecticut, voters overwhelmingly see paid sick
days law as essential to protecting workers/middleclass families.
With which view of the new paid sick day law do you agree
more?
Wrong time/
unnecessary
mandate
27%
Not sure
2%
Wrong Time: The new paid sick days law
imposes
an
unnecessary
mandate
on
businesses at a time when the economy
continues to perform poorly and jobs are
scarce.
When
government
imposes
requirements on business, costs rise and
businesses struggle. Even those who support
the principle of providing paid sick days worry
that now is not the right time to impose these
new requirements.
Source: Hart Researc (7/2011)
Right time/
more important
than ever
71%
Right Wrong
time time
Democrats 90%
9%
Independents 65% 33%
Republicans 52% 47%
Right Time: At a time when working people
need to be able to keep their jobs and support
their families, the new paid sick days law is
more important than ever.
Workers are
vulnerable now and cannot afford to lose income
or risk being fired simply because they have the
flu or a child needs medical care. Rebuilding the
middle class and strengthening families'
economic security requires common-sense
protections like
paid sick days.
Eight in ten adults nationwide say small
businesses should be required to provide
some paid sick days
If a law guaranteeing paid sick days was passed, should employers with less than 15 employees
be required to provide the same number of paid sick days as larger employers, provide fewer, or
not provide any?
60%
80%
50%
40%
47%
33%
30%
17%
20%
10%
4%
0%
Provide same
number as
larger
employers
Provide some Not provide any
but fewer than
larger
employers
Source: NORC/University of Chicago poll (6/2010)
Don't know
In San Francisco, the law works for
businesses
» S.F. has performed better in terms of the number
of jobs and number of businesses – large and
small – since enactment of the 2007 enactment of
the city’s paid sick days law.
» 2/3 of the city’s employers now support the law
» Very few employers experienced problems with
implementation.
» “Best policy at the least cost” ~ Golden Gate
Restaurant Association
Paid sick time: low cost to employers
Among Private Sector Workers
$1.00
1.1% of total
compensation, yet 86%
have access now
$0.80
0.53
$0.60
$0.40
.6 of 1% of total
compensation, yet
only 42% have
access now
0.23
0.18
$0.20
0.08
$0.00
All Workers
Mgmt/Prof'l
Sales/Office
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Program Perspectives (3/2010)
Service
For more information
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www.nationalpartnership.org
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