Press Release: Pressure Mounting on City Council to Side with Families, Override Mayoral Veto of Sick Days

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, April 9, 2013
CONTACT: Emma Stieglitz, emmaS@berlinrosen.com, (646) 200-5307
Jonathan Lipman, Lipman@berlinrosen.com, (773) 580-1603

NURSES RALLY FOR EARNED SICK DAYS AS NEW POLL SHOWS OVERWHELMING SUPPORT AMONG PHILLY VOTERS

Pressure Mounting on City Council to Side with Families, Override Mayoral Veto of Sick Days

PHILADELPHIA—As nurses and childcare professionals rallied at City Hall to urge City Council to side with Philadelphia families and override Mayor Nutter’s veto of the Earned Sick Days bill, a new poll was released today showing overwhelming support for the measure among Philadelphia voters.

The earned sick days bill would protect nearly 200,000 Philadelphians who are currently unable to earn paid sick days, preventing them from taking time off when they or their families are ill. The bill passed Philadelphia City Council 11-6, but was vetoed by Mayor Nutter. Supporters are pressing for Council to override that veto on Thursday.

The new survey of 590 Philadelphia voters from Public Policy Polling shows a strong 77 percent of Philadelphia voters supporting a law requiring businesses to allow earned sick time. In addition, 68 percent support an override of the mayor’s veto, and a plurality of voters say that a council member’s failure to override the veto would make them less likely to vote for that council member.

Support for sick days was particularly strong among growing parts of Philadelphia’s electorate:
• 84% of women strongly support a law guaranteeing earned sick days and a whopping 95% support it overall;
• 73% of independent voters support the law.
• 93% of Hispanic voters in Philadelphia strongly support the law, with only 1 percent voicing any opposition.

“This polling tells us what we already knew to be true, that Philadelphians support, want and need earned sick days,” said Marianne Bellesorte, senior director of policy at Pathways PA and a leader of The Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces, which supports the bill. “We urge the City Council to listen to their constituents, not to corporate lobbyists, and side with families by overriding the Mayor’s veto on earned sick days.”

Nurses and caregivers today told council how especially crucial earned sick days are for working parents, who without paid sick days can face the terrible dilemma of choosing between caring for a sick child or earning the money needed to pay for that child’s needs.

“Being able to earn paid sick days is a basic protection for working families,” said Patricia Eakin, PASNAP President and an Emergency Room Nurse at Temple University Hospital. “Parents should be able to take a few hours off work to take their kids to a doctor during the day; otherwise a child’s sickness could worsen and result in a trip to the ER. A job should be what enables you to care for and support your family, not what prevents you from caring for them.”

Research shows that families without access to sick days are also the ones least able to afford unpaid time off. The issue is compounded for working parents who are often forced to send sick children to school because they cannot afford to take care of sick children at home. Studies have shown that parents with earned sick days are 20 percent less likely to send a sick child to school and that when parents care for sick children at home, they get better sooner and reduce the risk spreading the illness to their classmates. A new study from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) shows that sick days would save Philadelphia an estimated $10.3 million a year in healthcare costs by reducing preventable emergency room visits.

Lawmakers and business leaders around the country are supporting earned sick time as a policy that strengthens the economy by keeping people in their jobs. This March, Portland, OR became the fourth city to adopt paid sick days, and New York City is poised to become the 5th US city, and the largest city yet, to pass a paid sick days law. Statewide bills are moving forward in Vermont and Massachusetts. Residents of Orange County, FL, should be able to vote for sick days in August 2014 thanks to 50,000 voters who petitioned for the ballot initiative.

These recent wins and active campaigns build on past victories in Connecticut, which passed the first statewide law in 2011, Seattle in 2011, Washington DC in 2008, San Francisco in 2006, and a November 2012 ballot initiative in Long Beach, California granting sick days to hotel workers. At the federal level, Rep. Rosa DeLauro and Sen. Tom Harkin introduced the Healthy Families Act this month, which would set a national sick days standard.

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Earned Sick Days on Action News

You can check out the clip online!

Op-Ed Supporting Earned Sick Days in Philadelphia Inquirer

This boss doesn't mind sick days

By Dewetta Logan

The Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce is fighting a City Council measure that would require businesses to allow their employees to earn paid sick days. Although the past few years have not been easy for area business owners like me, the chamber's contention that a few paid sick days will force businesses to shut their doors is simply not true.

To read the full op-ed, please visit The Philadelphia Inquirer's website.

Letters: A shameful position on sick leave in the city

Please read the whole letter on The Philadelphia Inquirer's website!

The Chamber of Commerce is trying to stop tens of thousands of working Philadelphians - nearly half of the city's workforce - from getting paid sick days ("Business opposes sick-leave proposal," Friday). It is a shameful position that cannot be justified on moral, public health, or business grounds.

All too often, Philadelphia workers must go to work ill because they can't afford to lose a day's pay when they are barely able to make ends meet and support their family. Responsible businesses understand that no worker should have to choose between losing a day's pay and coming to work sick or not caring for a sick child, and that paid sick days don't harm the economy. When workers come to work sick, they're not at their best and they risk spreading their illness to coworkers and others....

Guest Post: Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce Cries Wolf Over Earned Sick Days

Yesterday, the Daily News published an ominous Chamber of Commerce op-ed piece, warning against the earned sick days bill passed out of committee last week. The article prophesized a disturbing mass of unintended consequences: job losses, shuttered businesses, and slashed benefits.

Sound familiar?

It should. Business groups routinely oppose new worker-friendly legislation—from the minimum wage to family leave—with apocalyptic economic rhetoric. The Philadelphia business lobby’s opposition to the earned sick days bill, which would allow workers to earn five to nine annual paid sick days, is nothing new.

Rather than just making fretful predictions, we should look at empirical evidence gathered from successfully implemented paid sick leave bills. San Francisco’s earned sick leave law, which the Philadelphia bill is based on, has received accolades from both employers and workers. Guaranteed sick pay has had no discernable impact upon employment in the city, while profits and benefits have only been marginally affected.

A recent study by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR), based on interviews with over 700 employers, shows San Francisco businesses reporting overwhelmingly positive experiences with the new law. Two out of every three firms labeled themselves “supportive” or “very supportive”. The lowest levels of support were found in sectors where paid sick leave was less common before the law, like food service and retail, but even 60 percent of those employers approved of the measure. Over 70 percent reported that the law had no impact on their profitability.

Philadelphia business lobbyists specifically warn that guaranteed sick leave will cost workers benefits and jobs. But the IWPR study found that only 14.1 percent of San Francisco employers reduced compensation and benefits to accommodate the law, mostly through converting vacation days to sick leave (7.1 percent) or reducing bonuses and raises (7.1 percent). These miniscule numbers are well worth the 16 point bump in sick pay coverage the city experienced, especially among food service workers (who represent a danger to public health if they bring an illness to work).

A 2010 study by the Drum Major Institute shows that San Francisco’s paid sick leave law didn’t cause significant job losses in the city either. Despite Bay Area business lobbyist’s doom-and-gloom predictions, the city’s employment level continued to outperform those of the surrounding counties (which include wealthy Silicon Valley)—just as it had before guaranteed paid sick leave. If job killer predictions were accurate, we’d expect to see markedly heavy losses among industries most profoundly affected by the law. But San Francisco-area employment continued to be stronger than the surrounding counties in retail, hospitality and food service industries.

But the Chamber authors argue that Philadelphia can’t be compared to San Francisco. Apparently, we’re a special case due to “a high tax burden”, “a tough regulatory climate” (no specific numbers are mentioned) and unusually high unemployment (Philadelphia’s unemployment rate is little more than a point higher than the national level, just as it has been for the last decade).

That’s bunk. San Francisco’s labor laws are much tougher than any we have in Philadelphia. Their minimum wage is $9.92, well above Philadelphia’s $7.25. San Francisco businesses are required to pay a certain amount towards employee healthcare programs, or face a tax. If the vast majority of San Francisco employers can handle paid sick leave in the face of requirements like these, then Philadelphia business owners will do just fine.

Business owners tend to be small “c” conservative: Afraid of any change and eager to keep conditions stable, and uncomplicated. That’s fine. But we shouldn’t let their status quo bias prevent us from protecting our citizenry.

Jake Blumgart is a Philadelphia-based researcher with the Cry Wolf Project, funded by the Ford Foundation and the Public Welfare Foundation. His work has been published by the American Prospect, the Philadelphia Inquirer, The Stranger, and Campus Progress.

New Article in The Philadelphia Public Record

AFSCME Presses Hard For Sick-Day Bill

BY KATHY BLACK, Health and Safety Director, DC 47/

With support from a wide range of legislators, businesses, labor groups, nonprofit organizations, and workers, a bill to provide earned sick days for Philadelphia workers is set to move forward in City Council. After a hearing on the earned sick-days bill (Promoting Healthy Families and Workplaces, Bill No. 080474) this Tuesday, the Public Health and Human Services Committee voted in favor of the measure, which will now head to the full Council....

In an already-tough economy, workers without earned sick days face even tougher choices. Currently in Philadelphia, two in five workers have no earned sick days, and a majority of employees without this benefit work in food-service and care-giving positions. When workers without earned sick time (or their families) become ill, they must make a choice between the jobs they need and the families they love. Workers who choose to stay home often lose their pay, and are at risk of losing their jobs.

To read the full article, please visit The Philadelphia Public Record.

The Coalition in the News

Check out these great clips and articles about earned sick days in Philadelphia!

• March 2, 2011 - Nutter official lobbies against sick pay 
• March 2, 2011 - Philadelphia City Council panel approves paid sick-leave bill
• March 2, 2011 - Briefly... City/Region: Sick-leave bill advances
• March 1, 2011 - Activists Gathered At City Hall... (Fox 29 News)
• March 1, 2011 - Do You Have Paid Sick Days? (Fox 29 News) 
• March 1, 2011 - City looks at forcing sick pay
• March 1, 2011 - City Council Considers Forcing Employers To Offer Earned Sick Days
• March 1, 2011 - Ultimate Approval In Doubt For Philadelphia “Earned Sick Leave” Measure
• March 1, 2011 - DAILY GRINDER: Meet The New Boss…
• March 1, 2011 - City Hall hearings and reports, Corbett cabinet hearings and flu vaccines
• March 1, 2011 - Sick of your company’s sick day policies?
• March 1, 2011 - The Phlog: Don’t Sneeze On My Cheesesteak…Rally
• March 1, 2011 - Council eyes bill for paid sick leave
• March 1, 2011 - Philadelphia considering sick time mandate
• March 1, 2011 - Philly Council Considers Paid Sick Day Law
• March 1, 2011 - Showdown over sick days in Philly
• February 28, 2011 - State, local lawmakers ponder paid sick leave legislation
• February 25, 2011 - AFSCME Presses Hard for Sick-Day Bill

Press Packet Now Online

Looking for information given to the press during today's Earned Sick Days hearing? Check out our new page in the Press Room blog, the Online Press Packet!

New Article in Support of Earned Sick Time

The Philadelphia Daily Record this weekend published an article showing the many reasons why earned sick days are important to Philadelphia workers.  You can find the article on page 7 of their publication.

From October: Philadelphia councilmen want to mandate sick leave

Not sure how we missed this back in October, but wanted to bring it to your attention now!

A bill, proposed by City Councilmen Darrell Clark and William Greenlee, would guarantee paid sick time for private-sector workers in the city. Dr. James Plumb says people who don't have sick time avoid treatment until symptoms become serious.

"I have patients who have experienced chest pain and or severe headaches who put off treatment for a few weeks for fear of taking off work only to find out they have severe hypertension," said Plumb. "I have mothers whose child is sent to day care with diarrhea only to infect other children and day-care workers."

To read the full article by Tom MacDonald, visit WHYY's website!

Press Release: Nation's First Paid Family Leave Program a Success with Businesses, Employees

Cross-posted from PathWays PA's Policy Blog.
A new study released today finds that California's Paid Family Leave program - the first of only two state programs in the country that offer paid leave to workers when they take time off to care for a new child or sick family member - has received high marks from employers and employees alike since its implementation six years ago. The study, by researchers from UCLA/CUNY and the Center for Economic and Policy Research, is the first to examine the California program and finds that initial business concerns over the costs or potential abuse of the program were unfounded, and that the economic, social and health benefits of paid family leave have been extensive. As a national model for how states can adopt work-family policies that meet the needs of 21st century families, the California study offers valuable insights as policymakers in Pennsylvania consider similar proposals.

"California's experience shows that paid family leave is a win-win for employers and employees," said Carol Goertzel of PathWays PA. "Policymakers in Pennsylvania should take note of this study and the great potential of paid family leave policies to bring the workplace into sync with 21st century families."

"Paid Family Leave has been remarkably successful in California since the state first created it six years ago," said co-author Ruth Milkman, professor of Sociology at UCLA and the City University of New York. "It has helped hundreds of thousands of workers - especially in low-wage jobs - balance the costs and challenges of tending to family and work, and it has begun to close the gap in access to paid leave benefits. More men are taking paid parental leave now than five years ago, for example, and Paid Family Leave has doubled the average length of time new mothers are able to breastfeed. Despite the fears of critics when it was first enacted, Paid Family Leave has been well received: the employers and employees we surveyed overwhelmingly give the program high marks, and for those who use it, the result has been better economic, social, and health outcomes."

"Paid Family Leave has disproved opponents' claims that the program would be a 'job killer,'" said co-author Eileen Appelbaum, former Professor and Director of the Center for Women and Work at Rutgers University and now a Senior Economist at the Center for Economic and Policy Research. "Almost all employers found the program had positive or neutral effects on areas such as productivity, turnover and morale. If anything, the single biggest problem with Paid Family Leave in California is that not enough people know about it. The workers who need the program most - low-wage, immigrant and Latino workers who often lack employer-provided benefits - are the least aware of it. California will not realize the full potential of Paid Family Leave until all residents know it's there to be used. We hope this report shines a light on the great accomplishments of the state's program - and why it needs to further capitalize on its success."

Leaves That Pay: Employer and Worker Experiences with Paid Family Leave in California analyses surveys conducted in 2009-2010 of 253 employers and 500 individuals across the state about their experiences with the California PFL program. The law provides eligible employees up to six weeks of wage replacement at 55 percent of their usual earnings to bond with a new child or care for a seriously ill family member. Funded solely by employees paying into the program, the maximum payment is indexed to the state's average weekly wage and is $987 per week in 2011. According to California's Employment Development Department, in FY 09-10, 167,253 Californians used Paid Family Leave for bonding with new children and 23,220 used it to provide care for seriously ill family members. (More details on the program available at California's Employment Development Department.)

The employers surveyed - spanning a diverse and representative sample of the state's industries and regions - overwhelmingly reported that paid family leave had either a "positive effect" or "no noticeable effect" on productivity (89 percent), profitability/ performance (91 percent), turnover (96 percent), and employee morale (99 percent). Small businesses were less likely than larger establishments (more than 100 employees) to report any negative effects, and the vast majority of employers (91 percent) said "No" when asked if they were aware of any employee abuses of the program.

Many employers (60 percent) also reported that they coordinated the state Paid Family Leave program with benefits they already provided - meaning employers saved money when their employees used Paid Family Leave instead of, or in combination with, the paid leave supports these employers would otherwise have paid for.

The 500 workers surveyed had all experienced a life event that the Paid Family Leave program is designed to cover. About 30 percent of them had what the researchers defined as "high-quality jobs" - those that pay more than $20 per hour and provide health insurance - while the other 70 percent held "low-quality jobs" which failed to meet that standard. These two groups sharply contrasted in regard to access to employer-provided paid sick days and/or paid vacation: nearly all respondents with high-quality jobs (94 percent) had access to such benefits, compared to only 62 percent of those with low-quality jobs.

Consequently, the impact of Paid Family Leave on workers holding low-quality jobs was pronounced: 84 percent of those in low-quality jobs using PFL received at least half of their usual pay while on leave, whereas among those in this group who did not use PFL, 59 percent received no pay at all while on leave.

The study also found that Paid Family Leave contributed to fundamental shifts in work-family dynamics. The proportion of bonding claims filed by men has gone up steadily and substantially since the introduction of PFL, and many employers reported that the number of men taking paid parental leave is higher than it was five years ago.

Paid Family Leave also doubled the median duration of breastfeeding for all new mothers who used it, from five to eleven weeks for mothers in high-quality jobs and from five to nine weeks for those in low-quality jobs.

Despite the general satisfaction participants in the program, "Leaves That Pay" finds that public awareness of Paid Family Leave remains limited. Half the workers interviewed did not know the program existed, despite having had a qualifying circumstance for which to use PFL; low-wage workers, immigrants, and Latinos were least likely to be aware of the program. Among those who were aware of it, concerns over the level of wage replacement, fear of employer consequences for using the program, and the ineligibility of some public-sector workers also limited use of the program.

The authors recommend building on the success of California's Paid Family Leave by expanding outreach, particularly to low-income and immigrant communities; increasing the level of wage replacement provided by the PFL program from its current 55 percent of weekly earnings to two-thirds; and extending job protection to everyone who takes a PFL leave.

As the authors argue, the California program is a model for paid leave programs that is gaining increasing attention in other states and at the federal level.

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Labor Justice Radio: The Right to Heal

A special thank you to Kistine Carolan, a coalition member as part of Maternity Care Coalition and a member of Labor Justice Radio for putting together a piece focusing on the need for workers to be able to earn a minimum number of paid sick day.

Please listen as workers tell their own stories of how important paid sick days are to their health and the community's well-being.



Labor Justice Radio is a worker-produced show advocating justice for all working people. You can listen to shows online at http://laborjusticeradio.podomatic.com/ or live on WPEB 88.1FM in West Philadelphia, Mondays 7-8pm & Tuesdays 1-2pm.  Also feel free to check out and because a fan of their Facebook page.

Letter to the Editor: Sick Time for All

This letter was published in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: 

Thank you for the news story "Survey: Two-thirds of restaurant employees come to work sick" (Oct. 26 and TribLIVE.com).

In Pennsylvania, more than 45 percent of workers (including restaurant workers) do not have the opportunity to earn paid sick time.

The Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces is working to pass legislation to ensure all Pennsylvania workers have the opportunity to earn a minimum number of sick days to care for themselves or loved ones. Under this legislation, workers could earn up to six and a half such paid days per year.

When workers without sick time become ill, they have to choose between working sick or losing their pay (or their jobs). Not surprisingly, many choose their jobs over their health. Yet when they have access to sick time, their productivity increases and they are much less likely to spread illnesses to co-workers and the public.

Everyone gets sick, but not everyone has the time to get better. Please support earned sick days for all workers to improve public health, worker productivity and economic security for working families.

Carol Goertzel

The writer is president and CEO of nonprofit PathWaysPA (pathwayspa.org), a lead organizer of the Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces (earnedsicktime.blogspot.com).

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Article - Survey: Two-thirds of restaurant employees come to work sick

Last week the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review included an article that looked at the frequency with which restaurant workers come to work sick. With the vast majority of restaurant workers unable to earn any paid sick days, many have to choose between going to work sick and losing their pay or possibly their job. When faced with that difficult decision many will work sick possibly spreading their illness to the customer.

Below is an excerpt of the article:

It's possible your next meal out could come with a side of sniffles.

Two-thirds of restaurant employees — including cooks, waiters and waitresses — admitted to working while ill, according to a recent survey by the Restaurant Opportunities Center United, a New York-based restaurant workers advocacy group.

To read the complete article, please click here.



Image courtesy of: http://unadorned.org/morningpaper/archives/2003/07/index.html

Philadelphia Business Journal Survey: Should companies be required to offer paid sick days?

Besides voting at your local polling place today, the Philadelphia Business Journal is offering us a chance to let our voice be heard on paid sick days.

Yesterday, the Philadelphia Business Journal posted a poll in their daily enewsletter asking if Philadelphia companies should be required to offer paid sick days.  While everyone gets sick, not everyone has the time to get better. In Philadelphia, two out of five private sector workers are unable to earn any paid sick time to care for themselves or a loved one.   Please take a moment and vote in this poll. You are also able to leave a comment, so please feel free to do so.

If you are part of a business that provides paid sick days please contact us at policy@pathwayspa.org.

From DMI's Amy Traub: "A Race Between Philly and NYC on Paid Sick Leave?"

On Tuesday, October 12, PathWays PA and the Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces held a press conference to draw attention to a new report from the Drum Major Institute showing the effect earned sick days will likely have on Pennsylvania.  Below is a quote from an article in The Huffington Post:

Yet Philly may be moving faster to address a problem that's pressing in both cities. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that a hearing on paid sick time is expected in Philadelphia this fall. Meanwhile, in New York, the City Council has held multiple hearings, but it's unclear when the bill will come to the floor for a vote.

Councilman William Greenlee, co-sponsor of the Philadelphia bill, offered a sports analogy, insisting that Philadelphia would prove its policy leadership on paid sick time just as the Phillies would surely trounce the Yankees.

To read the full article, visit The Huffington Post.

Please also take a moment to read some of the other news from the DMI report, including articles in the Inquirer and The Philadelphia Business Journal.  You can also listen to a radio feed about the report on the PathWays PA website.

Childspace CDI Newsletter: Provider Testifies on Earned Sick Time

 Thank you to Childspace CDI, a Coalition member, for including this information in their Newsletter and for their continued work and support of this important issue. 

The Newsletter stated:

Lori Davis (Porter’s Child Care Center and Broad Street Academy) represented Childspace CDI at a forum on March 10,2010 to educate Philadelphians on the need for all workers to have access to paid leave in order to care for themselves and/or family. Porter’s and Broad Street Academy have generous paid leave policies.  Staff is able to earn seven days a year to be used as the employee sees fit.  By offering earned leave as well as health care benefits, her programs have very low staff turnover.  The forum was hosted by The Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces, which includes Childspace CDI. Most recently, Lori, along with members of the coalition, met with a representative from Councilman Clarke’s office and members of the Chamber of Commerce and African American Chamber of Commerce to discuss this issue.

Listen to Last Week's Radio SmartTalk to Learn More About Earned Sick Time

On September 13 last week, Representative Marc Gergely and Gene Barr from the PA Chamber of Business and Industry spoke for an hour about earned sick time in Pennsylvania.  As you may remember, this discussion was postponed last month because Rep. Gergely needed to take a sick day in order to meet with a surgeon about his son's recently broken foot.

You can listen to Representative Gergely and Mr. Barr and leave your own comments at the Radio SmartTalk page.  You can also download the podcast through iTunes for free.

image courtesy of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Fisher_500_radio.jpg

PCN Video on Need for Earned Sick Time

A new video on the need for earned sick time is now available.  PCN's monthly television program "Agenda for Action" included a story on HB 1830 and an interview from Tiffany Lomax about her need for earned sick time.  You can watch it on YouTube or view it below.

Patriot-News Editorial: "Paid sick leave: It's a way to cure productivity ills"

Check out this editorial in the Patriot-News:

You wake up this morning, ready to start a new week, when suddenly it feels like someone overnight laid a concrete block on your head.

It’s decision time: Do you call in sick or soldier through the workday?

For too many people, the answer to the question is between pain and getting paid.

An estimated 2.2 million workers in Pennsylvania have no paid sick days, many are people working low-paying jobs. If they take a day off when they or a family member is ill, they lose a day’s income, some even risk losing their job. Many just work sick.

Fortunately, our Legislature can make changes that allow for a modest amount of sick time for workers. Rep. Marc Gergely, D-Allegheny County, has introduced legislation that would provide a minimum amount of sick time for workers.

To read the full editorial, visit the Patriot-News website.