Paid Sick Days: The Time is Now

EARN Conference 2011September 13, 2011

Vicki ShaboNational Partnership for Women & Families

37%

79%

13%

57%

14%

73%

25%

All U.S. Private Sector

Lowest-Paid

Highest-Paid

Service Workers

Prof'l/Mgmt

Part-time

Full-time

More than 40 million workers: no paid sick time

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics (7/2011)

Percent of Private Sector Workers Without Access to Paid Sick Time

Lack of paid sick days means more sick people at work or

school

37%

14%

55%

24%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Went to work sick Sent child to school/daycare sick

Eligible for paid sick days Not eligible for paid sick days

Source: NORC/University of Chicago poll (6/2010)

1.5 times more likely

1.7 times more likely

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 co-workers

~ Two-thirds of restaurant workers and cooks report working sick.

When workers stay home, a few unpaid sick days can jeopardize basic necessities.

Fam

ily M

onth

ly B

udge

t

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Transportation budget

6.7 days3.5 days3.1 days1.4 days

Grocery bud-get

Health care budgetClothing bud-

get

Average two-worker family with no paid sick days

Source: Economic Policy Institute (6/2011)Number of unpaid sick days

Workers without paid sick days are more likely to go to the ER and take children or family members

to the ER

10%7%

20%

35%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

Went to emergency room for ownillness

Took child/family member toemergency room

Eligible for paid sick days Not eligible for paid sick days

Source: NORC/University of Chicago poll (6/2010)

Responses among parents with children under 18

2 times more likely

5 times more likely

Responses among adults overall

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:State/local legislation

and campaigns

Hawaii

Miami

City/State Bill Introduced or

Active Campaign

Paid Sick Days Law Passed

N.H.

SanFrancisco

Seattle

Pa.

N.C.

MaineVt.

Mass.Wis.

Ill.

Ariz.

Calif. Denver

Wash.

Conn.N.J.

N.Y.

MilwaukeeNYC

Washington, D.C.

Philadelphia

Minn.

Denver Ballot

Measure: Nov. 2011

Seattle City Council

Philly: City

Council – city

contracts

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%

24%

Net favor:+51

Source: NORC/University of Chicago poll (6/2010)

Support is particularly high among women, African-

Americans, and older peopleDo 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

Source: NORC/University of Chicago poll (6/2010)

75%90%

77%

85%78%

81%73%

88%64%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

65+ 50-6440-49

Under 40Hispanic

African-AmericanWhite

WomenMen

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.

87%

70%

61% 63%

83%

8%

23%29% 27%

11%

All Voters Key SubgroupsTotal favor Total oppose

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?

73%

19%Strongly favor47%

Favor Oppose Demo-crats

Inde-pendents

Repub-licans Men Women

Source: Hart Research (7/2011)

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?

36%17%

33%23%

34%29%

29%32%

21%46%Protecting public

health by helping sick workers stay home

Standing up for people like me and people I care about

More likely to be in touch with the real-life

challenges of working people and families

On the right side on balancing needs of

employers/employeesMore likely to

share my values

Strongly agree DisagreeSomewhat agree

Source: Hart Research survey of Conn. Voters (7/2011)

76%

66%

62%

60%

54%

Senators/Reps who voted FOR the paid sick day law are consistently viewed more favorably in the context of the

next election.

55%

22%

59%

23%23%

54%

18%

54%

Senator votedfor law

Senator votedagainst law

Rep votedfor law

Rep voted againstlaw

More favorable toward supporting them Less favorable toward supporting them

State Senator State House Member

+32 -32 +41 -31

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?

Source: Hart Research survey of Conn. Voters (7/2011)

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 paid sick days

Candidate who

opposes paid sick days

Much/Somewhat more likely to vote for (darker=much more)

Much/somewhat less likely to vote for (darker=much less)

42%

20%

24%

43%

+18 net more likely to vote for

-23 net less likely to vote for

Source: NORC/University of Chicago poll (6/2010)

Paid sick days can be used to energize and engage voters who are often harder to reach in a policy and electoral context.

11%

25%

42%

22%Less likelyMuch more likely

Not sure

Somewhat more likely

More Likely

Income under $50,000Women

Non-college graduates

69%

69%68%

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

Source: Hart Research survey of Conn. Voters (7/2011)

71%

2%

27%

Not sure

Wrong time/unnecessary

mandate

Right time/more important

than ever

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.

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.

DemocratsIndependentsRepublicans

Right time90%65%52%

Wrong time 9%33%47%

With which view of the new paid sick day law do you agree more?

In Connecticut, voters overwhelmingly see paid sick days law as essential to protecting

workers/middle-class families.

Source: Hart Researc (7/2011)

Eight in ten adults nationwide say small businesses should be required to

provide some paid sick days

17%

47%

33%

4%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Provide samenumber as

largeremployers

Provide somebut fewer than

largeremployers

Not provide any Don't know

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?

80%

Source: NORC/University of Chicago poll (6/2010)

In S an Fra nc isc o, t he l aw w ork s fo r b usin es se s

» 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

All Workers Mgmt/Prof'l Sales/Office Service$0.00

$0.20

$0.40

$0.60

$0.80

$1.00

0.23

0.53

0.180.08

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Program Perspectives (3/2010)

Among Private Sector Workers

.6 of 1% of total compensation, yet

only 42% have access now

1.1% of total compensation, yet 86%

have access now

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