Paid Sick Leave | Introduction
Making sure that all workers have access to some paid sick leave every year makes sense. With paid sick leave, ill workers will be more likely to stay home, rather than spread disease to their coworkers and the general public. Parents will be able to tend to their sick children, speeding recovery and improving school performance. Employers will benefit from higher productivity and morale.
Despite the benefits, 42% of American workers in private firms receive no paid sick leave - that's over 940,000 workers in Washington state. Lower wage workers are least likely to have paid leave or other benefits, and typically have few if any resources to fall back on in times of illness.
The majority of workers of all income levels have personal needs and family responsibilities that require occasional absences from work. Given prevailing practices and the direction of trends, it is unlikely that American workers will gain the paid leave benefits they need without government action. Improving the health of our nation’s children, families, workers, and businesses will require public policy action.
The United States remains one of the few countries in the world without minimum standards of paid leave for workers. At least 116 countries guarantee 10 or more paid sick days annually. Bills establishing minimum paid sick leave standards have been introduced in Congress, Massachusetts, Washington DC, and Madison, Wisconsin.
The state already sets minimum standards for wages, child labor, and worker health and safety. These laws safeguard workers and the public, protect businesses from undercutting by unscrupulous competitors, and make our communities stronger. It's time to establish minimum standards of paid sick leave.