Paid Sick Days
Every working person should have paid sick days, so we can care for and support our families and build thriving communities.
The problem – No one should face the impossible choice of caring for their health and the health of their family or getting paid. But millions of working people, whose employers don’t include paid sick days as a basic benefit at work, make this decision every time they get sick or a family member needs care.
- With so many women in today’s workforce, paid sick time should be a basic benefit for working moms and dads to be able to take care of themselves, a sick child or family member. Our families and our needs have changed, but the rules of the workplace have not kept up with the needs of the new workforce driving our economy.
- Everyone wants what’s best for their children, but without paid sick days, parents are often forced to choose between their family’s financial stability and their health and children’s health.
- We all get sick or need to care for ourselves and our families. Workplace protections should not be up to the policies of an individual employer, which results in some working people getting good benefits and others getting none.
- Big corporations increase their profits by holding down wages and benefits, including basic protections like paid sick days.
- Many small-business owners want to treat their employees well—including offering fair pay and good benefits. But big box stores and corporate chains threaten to undercut small, local businesses by denying working people basic benefits to care for and support their families, including paid sick days.
Our solution – No matter our occupation, we all get sick or need to take care of our family. All of us, by law, should have paid sick days as a basic standard at work.
- Working people should have the peace of mind that comes with earning a decent wage and knowing one bout of flu or a sick child won’t cost them their job or being able to pay that month’s rent.
- Paid sick days help seniors, when adult children can afford to take them to the doctor or care for them during an illness.
- By providing paid sick days, so working people don’t lose pay or their job when they are sick or need to care for a sick family member, we help build thriving communities and boost the economy.
How we get there – We need to update the rules of the workplace, so working people can care for and support their families.
- The basic rules of today’s workplace should include a set number of paid sick days, so people can get their work done and care for and support their families.
- Just like our government sets standards for a 40-hour work week, minimum wage and health and safety, in today’s workforce we need to guarantee every working person a set number of paid sick days.
- Setting a fair floor for wages and benefits will level the playing field for small businesses and allow them to treat their workers right without fear of being undercut by big corporations who hold down wages and benefits.
Call to action – It’s up to us to demand that every working person should have paid sick days, so we can care for and support our families and build thriving communities.
- We must hold our elected officials accountable for rewriting the rules so that every job comes with a set number of paid sick days, so we can care for and support our families, and help our communities to thrive.
- Cities and states around the country are leading the way by making paid sick days a basic benefit for working people. It’s time we did that for working people throughout the nation.
- It’s time for policies that help families get ahead and build an economy that works for all of us, not just the wealthy.
Download the Paid Sick Days Narrative
Download the American Women message guide for Economic Security for Women and Families