From the Economic Policy Institute (http://www.epi.org/):
It shouldn’t be a privilege to take a sick day, yet for too many U.S. workers it is. And it’s largely the lowest paid workers—those in the bottom 10% who would be most affected by taking an unpaid day off—who don’t have access to this vital benefit.
EPI’s analysis of a recent report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reveals that workers in the top 10% are three times more likely to receive paid sick leave than those in the bottom 10%, with 95% of top earners able to take paid time off when they fall ill, compared to only 33% of the lowest paid workers.
Not only are low wage workers the most likely to see their paychecks cut due to taking a sick day, they are also more likely to be in regular contact with the public at their jobs, increasing the likelihood they will get sick and need time off. People in these roles, like child care providers, home health aides, and restaurant workers, should not have to choose between protecting their health or providing for their families—but this is the stark reality for too many U.S. workers. And, especially during a global pandemic, workers should feel empowered to protect the health of their coworkers and communities by not going to work and spreading illness when they are sick.
Workers in this predicament have been put there by the action—or inaction—of policymakers, and it is policymakers who can fix it by enacting meaningful reforms to grant workers at all levels paid time off to take care of themselves and their loved ones when they are sick. Federal legislators can and should require employers to give employees opportunities to earn paid sick leave and make it easier to unionize. With 87% of unionized workers able to take paid sick days, compared with only 76% of nonunion workers, the ability to unionize also increases a worker’s chances of having access to paid sick leave.
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