Citizen-Times article

This article was sent courtesy of Sarah Osmer.

March 5, 2009

Group formed to advocate for paid sick days

By Leslie Boyd

A coalition of more than 30 groups kicked off a campaign Wednesday morning to get paid sick days for workers in North Carolina.

The group, the NC Paid Sick Days Coalition, was created to push for passage of the Healthy Families and Healthy Workplaces Act (HB 177).

Sarah Osmer, executive director of Just Economics, a member of the coalition, said the bill would offer workers time to recover and keep them from infecting coworkers and customers.

“It's not just a human rights issue, it's a public health issue,” she said. “More and more people are having to make tough decisions about whether they should go to work sick. We know of people who have been fired for staying home sick. It's really a basic workers' right.”

Gregg Thompson, state director for the National Federation of Independent Business, said a mandate for paid sick days could devastate some of the 7,000 North Carolina small businesses in his group.

He said businesses adjust employees' work schedules or otherwise help them deal with illness without penalty, but not all can afford to pay them for days off.

“With the economy the way it is, this is probably the worst timing that a piece of legislation like this could be passed, particularly on small businesses,” Thompson said, “because if you have five employees, that's 35 days a year that you're going to be paying for employers that aren't there and aren't being productive.”

Under the act, employers with fewer than 10 workers would have to provide four sick days; others would have to provide seven paid sick days.

But Rep. Alma Adams said the recession makes it even more critical to protect workers.

“In this economic climate, workers are just trying to hold on to their jobs,” Adams, a Greensboro Democrat who has introduced the bill, said at Wednesday's news conference. “They're under a lot of pressure to not lose that day's pay and to not risk unemployment.”

The N.C. Justice Center says 42 percent of the state workforce lacks paid sick days.

No other state has moved to mandate paid sick days, said Louisa Warren of the Justice Center, a progressive group that advocates for the poor and is coordinating this coalition. Washington, D.C., Milwaukee and San Francisco all have adopted such requirements, she said.

Diana Hatch, president of AARP North Carolina, said a growing elderly population will put more responsibility on their working children.

“Working people need a basic workplace standard of paid sick days so they don't have to choose between keeping their job and caring for an ill parent or relative,” Hatch said.

Jeff Shaw, a spokesman for the NC Justice Center, said more than 75 percent of hotel and food service workers, 75 percent of low-wage workers and 42 percent of private sector workers don't get paid sick days.

“That means the person who cooked or served your food could be sick but not able to afford a day off,” Shaw said.

Greg Borom of Children First of Buncombe County/Communities in Schools, another partner agency, said the bill also would allow parents to stay home with a sick child.

“It's best for children if a parent can stay home and take care of them,” Borom said. “Since our mission is to improve the lives of children, youth and their families, we signed on.”