44 Million U.S. Workers Lacked Paid Sick Days in 2010

Many employees could not take time off when sick,
including up to four out of five food service workers.

WASHINGTON, DC--New research from the Institute for Women's Policy Research (IWPR) finds that, after correcting for job tenure requirements imposed by employers, only 58 percent of private sector employees in the U.S. had access to paid sick days in 2010. Overall, 44 million private sector employees in the U.S. lacked paid sick days.

IWPR's estimate for employees who lack paid sick days is four percentage points higher than the most recent estimate from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics using data from the National Compensation Survey (NCS). The NCS data does not account for employees who are not yet covered for paid sick days due to employer-imposed requirements for job tenure. On average, employees have to wait 78 business days (about 3.5 months) before access to paid sick days is available to them.

"The fewer the number of workers who are able to stay home when sick, the more likely it is that diseases will spread, increasing health care costs and causing needless economic losses," said Dr. Robert Drago, director of research with IWPR. "We saw this during the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic when workers without paid sick days were more likely to go to work while infected with H1N1."

With only 23 percent able to access paid sick days, employees in the food service and preparation industry have the lowest rate of access. Occupations with both low rates of eligibility for paid sick days and high rates of employee turnover not surprisingly generate extremely low rates of coverage--leaving workers much more vulnerable in the event of sudden illness or injury. These also include jobs in construction and extraction, personal care and service, and protective services.

"This study has important implications for the nation's economy," said Debra Ness, president of theNational Partnership for Women & Families. "With unemployment so high and job searches taking so long, greater access to earned paid sick days will help ensure that workers won't lose their jobs if they get sick or a child needs care. That is especially important for low-income workers who are already struggling terribly in this recession."

San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and Milwaukee have passed laws requiring that employers provide paid sick days to workers. Similar laws are being considered in states and cities around the country including New York City. The Healthy Families Act, introduced in Congress every year since 2005, would mandate employer-provided paid sick days at the national level.

The Institute for Women's Policy Research (IWPR) conducts rigorous research and disseminates its findings to address the needs of women and their families, promote public dialogue, and strengthen communities and societies. IWPR is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization that also works in affiliation with the women's studies and public policy programs at The George Washington University.

Contact: Caroline Dobuzinskis, Communications Manager

E-mail: dobuzinskis@iwpr.org,

Phone: 202-785-5100

State Leaders Call on the Community to Learn from Recent Pandemic Threats

As the panic over H1N1 swine flu gives way to more reasoned precaution, Colorado has learned a very important lesson: We all have a shared responsibility for ensuring that our communities are healthy. And when our communities are threatened, we all need to step up and do what we can. 

 

As members of the Colorado Legislature, both past and present, we believe there is more we can do to protect our public health and protect our economy. We can send a message that the citizens, businesses and elected officials of the state of Colorado support paid sick days for every worker.

 

Here’s why …

 

In response to the risk of a pandemic flu outbreak, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a list of actions Americans should take to stay healthy. The CDC asked everyone who might be experiencing flu symptoms to stay home from work or school in order to limit contact with others and reduce the spread of contagions.

 

Likewise, President Barack Obama, in an appearance with President Felipe Calderon of Mexico, discussed the unpredictability of the threatened pandemic, and made recommendations for how communities should respond: “We urge employers to allow infected employees to take as many sick days as necessary,” Obama said. “…we’ve also recommended that both parents and businesses think about contingency plans if children do have to stay home.”

 

We know that it’s not that simple. At least 43% of Colorado workers lack paid sick days, and nationally, 70 percent of workers are unable to stay home with a sick child. Without paid sick days, workers are forced to choose between going to work sick and losing much-needed income, or possibly their jobs. 

 

In service industries that employ low-wage workers, like restaurants, 86% of workers lack paid sick days. Not coincidentally, nearly half of all stomach-“flu” related viruses, such as the norovirus, are linked to ill food-service workers. In 2008, when a worker at a restaurant in Kent, Ohio had no choice but to go to work sick with the norovirus, more than 500 people became violently ill. It cost the Kent community between $130,000 and $305,000.

 

Clearly, working while sick contributes to the spread of diseases like H1N1 swine flu. And while that resonates with most of us, there is another factor which specifically concerns business owners: the economic cost of ill employees on the job. 

Studies have shown that when sick workers are on the job it costs our national economy $180 billion a year in profits and lost productivity. However, if workers were offered seven paid sick days a year, Colorado businesses would save $10.54 per worker per week. These savings would come from reduced turnover, lower productivity losses and a healthier workforce. Costs for wages, payroll taxes, and administrative expenses would be lower -- $7.52 per worker per week – which means Colorado businesses would save money by offering paid sick days.[1].

 

Paid sick days make good business sense, and we're not the only ones who think so. Kevin Westlye, Director of the Golden Gate Restaurant Association, helped San Francisco restaurants when citizens voted to implement paid sick days in 2007. He noted that "sick leave is one issue where people just looked at adjusting their policies and moved on. It hasn't been a big issue."

We ask workers to take responsibility and stay home if they’re sick. We ask parents to keep their sick children home from school. But in order for this to be possible, we must also ask businesses to offer their workers paid sick days.

As current and retired elected officials in Colorado, we strongly urge all businesses to step up and take part in the shared responsibility of ensuring a healthy community, and a vibrant marketplace, by offering access to paid sick days for every worker in the state.

 

 

Morgan Carroll

Colorado State Senator, District 29

 

Contributors:

Betty Boyd

Colorado State Senator, District 21

President Pro Tempore, Colorado State Senate

Chair, Senate Health and Human Services Committee

 

Lois Tochtrop

Colorado State Senator, District 24

Assistant Majority Leader, Colorado State Senate

Vice-Chair, Senate Health and Human Services Committee

Evie Hudak

Colorado State Senator, District 19

Gwyn Green

Colorado State Representative, District 23

 

Daniel Kagan

Colorado State Representative, District 3

 

Anne McGihon

Former Colorado State Representative, District 3

Karen Middleton

Colorado State Representative, District 42

Cherylin Peniston 

Colorado State Representative, District 35

[1] Dr. Vicky Lovell, Valuing Good Health: An Estimate of Costs and Savings for the Healthy Families Act, Institute for Women’s Policy Research (2005)