Need some reasons to take action against preemption? Please read, take action, and share!
From our friends at Working America
When will enough be enough from our legislators?
They've come after rights we all value already, but
now they want to limit the ability of workers to have paid sick days off from work.
Seriously.
Extreme lawmakers in Harrisburg are again
letting their rich CEO friends call the shots, and are trying to pass HB 1807, a bill that would prevent any local entity from adopting a law that guarantees paid sick days for its workers.
We can't let them get away with another attack on workers. We need you to call right now, before it's too late.
Every day, thousands of Pennsylvania workers go to work while sick, or while having a sick child at home. Some of us are lucky enough to have paid sick days from our employers, but many others aren't. That means workers often have to make the choice of earning money for the day, or taking care of themselves or their families.
But this law, and its rich corporate backers, would end the discussion of paid sick days before it starts. Earlier this year, Philadelphia came within one vote of passing a paid sick days ordinance for all of the working people in the city.
HB 1807 would make it impossible for local cities, townships and other local entities to pass laws granting workers paid sick days off from work.
We have to push back. Can you take a minute and call your legislators now?
This bill is moving fast, so we have to act now.
Please call now.
With your help, we can win this and stop continued attacks on working families.
In solidarity,
Kim McMurray
Working America
From our friends at the National Partnership for Women and Families
You may have heard about the exciting effort to pass a paid sick days law in Philadelphia earlier this year.
A broad-based coalition of workers, advocates, businesses and lawmakers voiced their support loud and clear for a paid sick days standard for the city, and won the support of the City Council.
But opponents of family friendly workplace policies like paid sick days have also heard about progress in Philadelphia — and they are doing everything possible to thwart the coalition’s efforts and undermine democracy in Pennsylvania!
Some Harrisburg politicians, with the backing of big businesses and anti-worker groups, are trying to pass a bill that would prohibit Pennsylvania’s cities from adopting local paid sick days standards or even laws requiring employers to allow unpaid leave for survivors of domestic violence.
It’s an outrage!
Please help Philadelphia — and all cities in Pennsylvania — fight back.
Call your state representative and say: "Oppose H.B. 1807. Let city residents and lawmakers decide if paid sick days standards are right for them." (Look up your state representative here.)
The House is expected to vote any day so call
right now to make sure your voice is heard!
Thank you for all that you do.
From our friends at MomsRising
I'm Karen and I'm on the campaign team at MomsRising. I usually work on our national food justice campaigns (you may have seen emails from me about school lunches!) but I'm also a Pennsylvania mom - I live in central PA.
I'm writing to you today because I am stunned and disappointed that some of our state legislators in Harrisburg want to take away the right of Pennsylvanians to pass our own local ordinances about things like access to paid sick days.
That's right: The Pennsylvania legislature is proposing legislation that blocks local governments from implementing paid sick days and other kinds of paid leave laws that aren't already guaranteed at the state level. [1] This is bad news for the 4 in 10 PA workers who cannot earn a single sick day, no matter how hard they work. [2]
I am a Pennsylvania mom and I know that PA moms are powerful! We will stand up for Pennsylvania families and democracy and stop this bad bill commonly referred to as "paid sick day preemption."
Tell your state representatives: Barring local communities from implementing earned sick time is bad for Pennsylvania families and bad for our democracy.
http://action.momsrising.org/go/3817?ak_proof=1&t=5&akid=.291707.S4zMqp
Why are legislators trying to block cities and local governments from implementing paid sick time standards that are good for PA families and our economy? Because, wealthy corporate lobbyists are trying to convince them that throwing moms and kids under the bus is good for their pocketbooks. This law will remove power from locally elected officials and strip cities and counties of their right to adopt paid sick day policies that benefit their communities - worst of all, they take power away from us to effect change at the most local level.
We won't let our leaders hand our power over to corporate lobbyists. We know that PA moms are unstoppable and we can stop this bill. Tell your state legislators to vote no on HB 1807.
http://action.momsrising.org/go/3817?ak_proof=1&t=7&akid=.291707.S4zMqp
Thanks to the organizing powers of moms and dads in Philly, the City Council there passed an earned sick days ordinance - twice! The Mayor vetoed the bill both times, but moms keep pushing for this commonsense pro-family policy and each time the bill comes closer to passing. We won't give up. And big business folks know it - that's why they want to try to block our power by blocking local bills to implement paid sick time. Moms won't be stopped.
Moms across the country are firm in their beliefs: No parent should live in fear of losing their job, or a day's pay, if they or their child gets sick. Our momentum to pass earned sick time is growing. Just this year, Portland, Oregon, Jersey City, and New York City have passed earned sick time bills.
If this bill becomes law in PA, local governments will lose their right to pass paid sick day laws.
Tell your state legislators: Don't stop PA moms and families from using our democracy to protect our families. Say no to HB 1807!
http://action.momsrising.org/go/3817?ak_proof=1&t=9&akid=.291707.S4zMqp
It's pretty obvious why earned sick time is good for public health: It helps contain health care costs through prevention, early detection, and treatment of illness. With earned sick time, families would not be forced to send sick children to school where they will likely infect classmates and teachers. Workers with earned sick time would not spread illness to their coworkers and customers.
Somewhat less obvious, but equally true, is that earned sick time turns out to be good for businesses, too. Research shows that the costs of replacing workers, including advertising for, interviewing and training new employees, often far outweigh the cost of retaining employees by offering earned sick time.
Tell your state representatives: Paid sick day preemption is bad for Pennsylvania families and bad for our democracy. VOTE NO ON HB 1807.
http://action.momsrising.org/go/3817?ak_proof=1&t=11&akid=.291707.S4zMqp
And take a moment to forward this to your friends and family so they can take action too!
Together we're a powerful force for women and families.
- Karen, Ruth, Charlie and the whole MomsRising.org team
[1]
HB 1807
[2]
IWPR, Access to Paid Sick Days in the States, 2010
While it’s back to school for many of us, it’s back to work for Pennsylvania’s full-time legislature – which means some legislators are (once again) trying to overturn Philadelphia’s paid sick and safe days law passed in 2015.
