__Sick leave ■ ■ ■

_Illness has already got Stacey worried. What if the kids catch a virus one day and she can't get the day off? Kathy's mom's diabetes is stable right now, but you never know. And although Heather gets decent PTO at her firm to use however she wants, she used it up last year when both her kids broke limbs the same summer and she had to ask a colleague to fill in for her.
 
Although some of us might take sick days for granted, there are many workers who can't earn paid sick leave, so some people go to work even when they don't feel well.

Obstacles:

• the U.S. is the only nation among 22 highly developed countries to provide no guarantee of paid sick days to its workers.
• more than four in ten private-sector workers today are unable to take paid sick days
• among low-wage earners (such as restaurant, child care, and health care workers), the lack of paid sick days rises to 80 percent

Costs:

• giving paid sick days to the 44 millions Americans who don't have it would save a billion dollars a year in health care costs.
• if paid sick days aren't available, workers are 1.5 times more likely to go to work when sick, even when their illness is contagious.
• in 2009, H1N1-infected workers were responsible for spreading the virus to as many as 7 million of their co-workers.
• parents without paid sick leave are five times more likely to take their children to the emergency room than those who have it
  

Advantages of Paid Sick Leave:

• parents with paid time off are five times more likely to stay home with sick children than those who don't
• sick children recover faster when their parents care for them at home
• sickness would not spread so rapidly in workplaces, child care centers, schools, and health care settings
• sick leave would prevent some families from sinking below the poverty line--missing three days of paid work in a month can do that for some.
• reduced turnover
• reduced health care costs
• increased productivity
  

Some places, such as the state of Connecticut, Washington DC, the city of Seattle, and the city of San Francisco, guarantee all employees the right to paid sick leave. These places might be few and far between, but they show progress, and many groups are working to spread paid sick leave further. Giving all employees paid sick leave gives working parents the security to know that they can still take care of themselves and their families, even when illness strikes.

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_ "I was once fired for leaving work when I was sick because I didn't find a replacement. I worked in a food establishment and had strep throat! And I tried to find a replacement, but no one would work for me. I worked other jobs where I had to come in with pneumonia or be fired because it was the Christmas season and they "needed" me. Always working shift work meant I had to find someone cover my shift if I had a sick child and some people aren't going to change their schedules just because your kid is sick."

Marisa S., Utah