WASHINGTON, D.C. – Following an unusually severe flu season, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) outlined efforts to ensure paid sick leave for workers and keep Ohio families healthy. While more than 8,800 Ohioans have been hospitalized because of the influenza virus this season, 1.9 million Ohioans – or 45 percent of the workforce – do not have a single paid sick day that they can use to care for themselves or a sick family member. Low wage workers are even less likely to have access to paid sick days. In Ohio, more than 27 percent of jobs are low-wage jobs.

“Ohioans shouldn’t have to choose between their health or a paycheck,” Brown said. “That’s why the Healthy Families Act is so important. Guaranteeing paid sick and family leave to all Americans would protect public health and increase economic security for millions of families. We know that when workers are healthy, they are more productive. Providing sick days can help decrease turnover and give employers safer, healthier, and more stable workplaces.”

Brown outlined the Healthy Families Act, which would:

  • Allow workers to earn paid sick time to address medical needs and care for family members: Workers can earn up to 56 hours (seven days) of paid sick time—one hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours worked. Workers could use this time to recover from illness, care for a sick family member, obtain preventative or diagnostic treatment, or to seek help if they are victims of domestic violence. 
  • Provide important worker protections while addressing business concerns: Employers with fewer than 15 employees are exempt from the bill. Employers with existing leave policies can maintain them as long as their existing leave policies meet minimum requirements described in the HFA. The bill also permits employers to require workers to provide documentation supporting any request for leave longer than three consecutive days. 
  • Decrease health costs and improve worker productivity by reducing the spread of disease: By reducing unnecessary emergency room visits, universal paid sick days would save the economy $1 billion in health care costs per year, according to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research.

 

"Flu season and outbreaks of contagious illnesses are stark reminders that our nation's failure to guarantee paid sick days can cause real harm," said Vicki Shabo, vice president at the National Partnership for Women & Families. "That is especially true when low-wage workers who have the most frequent contact with the public cannot earn sick time. A national paid sick days standard would protect the public's health by giving workers the choice to stay home when the flu or other illnesses strike, allowing them to recover and slowing the spread of contagion in our communities and workplaces. It is a common sense policy with demonstrated and widespread benefits." 

A fact sheet on Brown’s legislation is available here and the county-by-county report on flu hospitalizations this winter in Ohio is available here.

 

 

###