NEWS: Sanders, DeLauro, 168 Colleagues Introduce Legislation to Guarantee Paid Sick Leave to American Workers

WASHINGTON, Feb. 12 - Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), today introduced legislation that would ensure the United States finally joins virtually every other major country on Earth in guaranteeing paid sick leave to its workers.

Sanders and DeLauro were joined on the legislation in the Senate by Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), John Fetterman (D-Penn.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Angus King (I-Maine), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and 138 members of the House of Representatives.

"It is an international embarrassment that the United States of America remains the only major country on Earth not to guarantee paid sick days to workers. Working together, we must end that embarrassment," Sanders said. "It's not radical to ensure that every worker in America receives the paid sick days that they need. What's radical is that we have corporations in America making billions in profits, denying paid leave to working moms and dads when their kids get sick. That's radical."

"Federal law does not guarantee working Americans a single paid sick day," DeLauro said. "No one should face the impossible choice of either caring for their health or keeping their paycheck, especially during the current cost of living crisis. But nearly 27 million hard-working people must make this decision every time they get sick. Not only is it the right thing to do, but a lack of paid sick days hurts the American economy by reducing productivity, increasing the spread of illness which leads to higher health care costs, and causes financial strain on workers. That is why I am proud to sponsor this effort with Senator Sanders to ensure that workers are able to follow the directive of public health officials and stay home when they are sick without the fear of losing their paycheck."

The U.S. today remains the only major country in the world that does not provide paid time off for short-term illnesses. Currently, nearly 27 million workers lack any paid sick time entirely, including 20% of the private sector workforce and 7% of the public sector workforce. Things are worse for low-income workers and households, with just 58% of low-income, private-sector workers able to access paid sick days. Without guaranteed paid sick leave, workers are forced to make untenable choices between getting a paycheck and keeping their jobs on the one hand and caring for their own and their family's health on the other.

Workers without paid sick leave are three times more likely to delay or forgo necessary health care for themselves and nearly twice as likely to forgo medical care for their families compared to working adults with paid sick days. However, workers with access to paid sick leave are 28% less likely to suffer nonfatal occupational injuries, and employers who provide paid sick leave see 25% less turnover in their workforce. According to a study by the Institute for Women's Policy Research, a universal paid sick days policy would reduce preventable visits to the emergency room and result in cost savings of $1.1 billion per year, including $500 million in savings for public health insurance programs like Medicare and Medicaid.

The Healthy Families Act would:

• Guarantee every worker in America up to seven 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.
• Simplify how employers calculate paid sick leave. Workers would earn a minimum of one hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours worked, up to a minimum of 56 hours per year.
• Allow employers to use their existing policies if they exceed minimum standards.
• Allow victims of domestic violence, stalking or sexual assault to use their paid sick days to recover or seek assistance.

The Healthy Families Act is endorsed by 88 organizations, including AFL-CIO, Service Employees International Union (SEIU), United Auto Workers (UAW), Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA), National Nurses United (NNU), International Association of Machinists (IAM), Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division-International Brotherhood of Teamsters (BMWED-IBT), Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen-International Brotherhood of Teamsters (BLET-IBT), the Teamsters Rail Conference, Transport Workers Union (TWU), Communications Workers of America (CWA), United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), National Education Association (NEA), American Federation of Teachers (AFT), Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), National Partnership for Women & Families, A Better Balance.

Read the bill text here.

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