Today, Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Rosa DeLauro reintroduced the Healthy Families Act, legislation that would create a national right for workers to earn up to 7 days of paid sick time per year when they or a family member is sick.
Below is a statement from A Better Balance President Inimai Chettiar:
“More than 25 million Americans don’t have the legal right to take even a single paid sick day when they’re under the weather or need to see a doctor. Every day, through A Better Balance’s free legal helpline, we hear from workers – especially those in low-wage, hourly jobs like food service and retail – who feel like they have to either go to work while sick, or else risk their job or paycheck.
As we saw during the COVID pandemic, pressuring workers to keep coming into work while they’re sick and contagious is terrible for individual and public health, but without paid sick time, too many people simply can’t afford to stay home and recover from illnesses. A lack of paid sick time also makes it nearly impossible for many workers to take a day off work when their child or another loved one is sick, which often forces working moms in particular to make impossible decisions and even risk their jobs. Paid sick time is a matter of basic equality: young people, women, and people of color are all more likely to work in jobs with no paid sick time.
Dozens of states and localities have passed their own paid sick time laws. On Election Day in 2024, voters across zip codes and party lines made their voices heard and passed paid sick time by ballot initiative in Alaska, Missouri, and Nebraska. Now, Congress has the chance to pass the Healthy Families Act and extend a lifeline to families, businesses, and communities nationwide.
We thank Sen. Sanders and Rep. DeLauro for championing this issue and look forward to working together as we advocate for passage of the Healthy Families Act.”