Every Parent Wants to Protect Their Children

Every parent wants to protect their children, no matter how old they get, but my daughter was faced with a horrible choice, and it was my fault. She had to choose between staying in the hospital waiting for word about my status in the Intensive Care Unit (which would make her lose her job) or going to work and facing the possibility that I could die while she was ringing people up at the check-out counter.

Going to work or caring for an ailing mother is a choice no one should have to make.

That's why I'm joining with the Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces in calling for paid sick days for anyone employed in the City of Philadelphia.

Not only has my daughter already confronted this ugly choice, but she's going to have to do it again and again in the near future because I'm facing heart surgery and a possible diagnosis of breast cancer.

But this isn't just about me and my family. Over 40 percent of Philadelphia's workers don't have the ability to earn paid sick days either. So whether it is the need to care for an ailing elder, or a sick child, or for oneself, there are thousands of people facing the choice of caring for themselves or their family and losing their job.

I'll be honest with you, that's not how it should work in America. But now Philadelphia has an opportunity to lead the way in how it *should* work! Click here and join me in supporting paid sick time for all employees in Philadelphia. Because it's like I told the City Council:

"Even if I have to use my last breath to get [a policy] passed, I will do it!"

You can tell the Mayor and the City Council that you want a paid sick days policy too! Just click here and sign the petition!

In solidarity,

Barbara Lovelace,
North Philadelphia