Recommendations on Paid Sick Leave Policies in Philadelphia. 2014.
In 2014, Mayor Michael Nutter convened a task force to examine the impact of paid sick days in Philadelphia.
The Costs and Benefits of Paid Sick Days. 2014.
By Jessica Milli, IWPR.
Testimony of Jessica Milli, Ph.D., before the Mayor’s Task Force on Paid Sick Leave of Philadelphia.
Paid Sick Days in Philadelphia Would Lower Health Care Costs by Reducing Unnecessary Emergency Department Visits. 2013.
By Claudia Williams, IWPR.
Thirty-four percent of Philadelphia private-sector employees, or approximately 182,629 workers, lack access to paid sick days. This fact sheet reports findings from research by the Institute for Women's Policy Research (IWPR) on how increased access to paid sick days would improve both accesses to health care and health outcomes in Philadelphia. The research also quantifies the savings gained by providing access to paid sick days to all private-sector workers, thereby preventing some emergency department visits in Philadelphia.
Valuing Good Health in Philadelphia: The Costs and Benefits of Paid Sick Days. 2013.
By Claudia Williams, IWPR.
Providing paid sick days is expected to save Philadelphia employers more than half a million per year, according to a new analysis by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR). The city’s proposed paid sick days legislation under Chapter 9-3300, would not only reduce costs to employers in Philadelphia, but would also reduce the spread of contagious diseases yielding further public health costs savings.
Who Cares for the Sick Kids? Parents’ Access to Paid Time to Care for a Sick Child. 2012.
By Kristen Smith and Andrew Schaefer, Carsey Institute.
This policy brief looks at the needs of parents with sick children. More than one-half of working parents lack earned sick days to care for a sick child, even though working parents take an average of four days off per year to care for their children.
Behind the Kitchen Door: The Hidden Reality of Philadelphia’s Thriving Restaurant Industry. 2012.
By the Restaurant Opportunities Center.
Behind the Kitchen Door is a report based on interviews with Philadelphia restaurant workers and employers and includes information from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics to put local working conditions into perspective.
Sick Kids, Struggling Parents 2012
C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health at the University of Michigan.
With an increasing number of working parents, two out of every three U.S. children under 6 years old now require child care by someone besides their parents. Children, especially infants or children in their first year of child care, are sick with colds and other airway infections, pink-eye, and diarrhea more often than children who stay at home exclusively. The poll highlighted three key findings:
- Nearly two-thirds of parents of young children in child care say their children could not attend because of illness in the past year.
- One-third of parents of young children are concerned about losing jobs or losing pay when taking off work to care for their sick children.
- 8% of parents with kids in child care say taking their sick child to the emergency room is more convenient than seeing a primary care doctor.
A Critique of “An Economic Assessment of Mandated Sick Leave Legislation (#080474) in the City of Philadelphia" 2011.
By Lonnie Golden, Professor of Economics and Labor Studies, Penn State-Abington, and Dr. Stephen Herzenberg, Keystone Research Center.
This policy brief analyzes the Dunkelberg study on the cost of implementing sick days in Philadelphia and finds that it has a combination of limitations and errors that makes it of little value for policymakers considering enacting paid sick days.
Philadelphia Paid Sick Days Polling 2011.
By Anzalone Liszt Research.
Philadelphia voters strongly support a proposal to require businesses to provide paid sick days for their employees. From May 18 to May 22, 2011, Anzalone Liszt Research conducted a poll of 500 May 2011 primary voters. The poll found that voters believe this proposal will be good for Philadelphia businesses and will improve the public health of the city, and demonstrate extraordinarily high and unwavering levels of support the legislation.
San Francisco’s Paid Sick Leave Ordinance: Outcomes for Employers and Employees 2011.
By Robert Drago, Ph.D. and Vicky Lovell, Ph.D.
This study examines the effects of San Francisco’s recent paid sick days legislation on employees and employers. This report provides results from recent surveys of 727 employers and 1,194 employees working in San Francisco regarding the effects of the Paid Sick Leave Ordinance (PSLO).
Paid Sick Time: Healthy for Philadelphia Workers and Businesses 2010
By Amy Traub.
More than 210,000 working Philadelphians do not have a single paid sick day. As a result, they are more likely to come to work sick and send their ill children to school or daycare, contributing to poor health, the spread of contagious disease, and lower workforce productivity. As the flu season approaches, Philadelphia cannot afford to have employees coming to work sick.
Serving While Sick: High Risks and Low Benefits for the Nation's Restaurant Workforce, and Their Impact on the Consumer 2010.
By The Restaurant Opportunities Centers United.
On September 30, 2010 Restaurant Opportunities Centers United released "SERVING WHILE SICK," the largest- ever study of the health conditions of restaurant workers based on over 4,300 surveys conducted in cities nationwide, including New York, Miami, Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, New Orleans, and Washington D.C. 90% of workers reported that they did not receive paid sick days. 90% of workers reported not having health insurance through their employers. As a result, 63% reported preparing, cooking, and serving food while sick.
Paid Sick Days Can Help Contain Health Care Costs. 2010.
By Kevin Miller, Ph.D. Institute for Women Policy and Research
A look at how paid sick days can help lower health care costs in the United States.
Paid Sick Leave Does Not Harm Employment. 2010.
By John Petro, Urban Policy Analyst, Drum Major Institute for Public Policy
A close analysis of the latest employment data in San Francisco reveals that, despite the recession, the labor market there is performing better than in neighboring counties that do not have a paid sick leave law.
Job Growth Strong with Paid Sick Days. 2008
By Vicky Lovell, Ph. D., and Kevin Miller, Ph. D.
Job growth has been strong in San Francisco compared with other Bay Area counties following implementation of a new paid sick days standard in San Francisco on February 5, 2007, according to data from the California Employment Development Department.
Policy Briefing Series: Opportunities for Policy Leadership on Paid Sick Days. 2007.
By the Sloan Work and Family Research Network
The Policy Briefing Series (PBS) provides state legislators with information on implications of work-family policies and their effects on their constituents. The PBS on Paid Sick Days highlights what steps have been taken at the local, state, and national levels to guarantee paid sick days for workers.
Responsive Workplaces: The Business Case For Employment That Values Fairness and Families. 2007.
By Jodie Levin-Epstein, Center for Law and Social Policy.
The Responsive Workplaces issue brief frames work/life business practices not only as good social policy, but good business sense. This report provides examples of how businesses benefit from better workplace standards, through increased worker retention, higher productivity, and a healthier work environment.
Here’s a Tip…When Restaurant and Hotel Workers Don’t Have Paid Sick Days, It Hurts Us All. 2007
By Jodie Levin-Epstein, Center for Law and Social Policy, Washington, DC.
Levin-Epstein’s report examines the public health risks associated with the lack of paid sick days among low-wage accommodation and food industry workers. She argues that providing paid sick days for workers in all sectors would not only benefit workers’ health and their families, but public health, as well.
Valuing Good Health: An Estimate of Costs and Savings for the Healthy Families Act. 2005.
By Vicky Lovell. Institute for Women’s Policy Research, Washington, DC.
Valuing Good Health presents a comprehensive estimate of the costs and savings associated with the Healthy Families Act, a federal bill that guarantees seven paid sick days per year to full-time workers. The report finds that if workers were provided just seven paid sick days per year, our national economy would experience a net savings of approximately $8 billion per year.
No Time to be Sick: Why Everyone Suffers when Workers Don’t Have Paid Sick Leave. 2004.
By Vicky Lovell, Institute for Women’s Policy Research, Washington, DC.
Lovell’s groundbreaking research investigates the availability of paid sick days in the U.S. by industry and demographic categories. Lovell finds that nearly half of all private-sector workers do not have a single paid sick day, and examines the ramifications for workers, families, businesses, and communities.
Getting Time Off: Access to Leave Among Working Parents. 2004
By Katherin Ross Phillips, Urban Institute, Washington, DC.
Phillips’ report examines whether access to paid leave, including paid sick days, differs by socioeconomic status and finds that low-income workers have less access to all forms of leave. Phillips asserts that increasing access to paid leave would help provide economic security for many working parents.
