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Family Economic Security MomsVote Paid Sick Days

Massachusetts! Vote YES on Question 4 for Paid Sick Days

November 3, 2014
Sara Alcid's picture
Sara Alcid
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November 4th, Election Day, is your chance to make sure earned sick days win big in Massachusetts! It's not just election season. It's also the beginning of cold and flu season and this winter, 1 million workers in Massachusetts will not be able to earn paid sick days, no matter how hard they work or how sick they or their children are.

But you have the opportunity to change this and that's why you must get to the polls on November 4th and vote YES on 4.

Pledge now to vote YES on 4— the paid sick days ballot question — this election and make Massachusetts a fairer, healthier place to live and work.

Voting YES on the ballot question means voting for 36% of private sector workers in Massachusetts, who currently do not have access to a single paid sick day, to finally have the right to earn sick days without risking losing their jobs or a day’s pay. If passed, workers employed at businesses with ten or fewer employees would be able to earn up to 40 hours of unpaid sick leave, while workers employed at businesses with eleven or more employees would be able to earn up to 40 hours of paid sick leave.

No one should have to choose between their health and their paycheck, and every worker should be able to earn time to care for themselves or their family when illness strikes.

A majority of Massachusetts voters support paid sick days, but that doesn't mean we can take a paid sick days victory for granted. We know you’re a voter who cares about your community and hundreds of thousands of people like you are going to cast their ballot for earned sick time on November 4th. You can help make sure that this election, the TOP priority for Massachusetts voters is at the BOTTOM of the ballot!

We cannot take anything for granted. Stand with us — on the right side of history! Declare it now by pledging to vote YES on Question 4.

Pledging to vote YES on this important ballot question and encouraging your friends to do the same helps ensure we show up to the polls on November 4th. Our vote is our voice and you have to make sure your voice is heard loud and clear on earned sick days in Massachusetts.
 
With your vote — and your voice — hardworking Massachusetts families will be able to balance job obligations and family needs with access to paid sick days. The great thing about an earned sick days law is that it would boost the economic security and success of Massachusetts, saving employers $26 million annually. They keep people in the jobs they desperately need and even save employers money because offering paid sick days is much less expensive than the cost of replacing workers through advertising, not to mention the time it takes to interview and train new employees. [1] In fact, the national economy suffers when workers go to work sick, losing a whole $160 billion a year in lost productivity. YIKES!
 
 
Say it with me now: #WEmatter, #PaidSickDaysMatter, #WEvote and #WEarePowerful!

Together, we are a strong force for women and families at the polls.

 

*** Plan ahead and make sure you know where your polling location is for election day (November 4th)! Find your polling location here by entering the address you're registered to vote under. You can even preview the ballot before voting to make sure you know where the paid sick days ballot measure is. (Hint: it’s at the bottom!)

We are so grateful to our friends at the Massachusetts Paid Leave Coalition for their tireless work on paid sick days and collaboration with MomsRising.
 

[1] Christine Siegwarth Meyer, et al, Work-Family Benefits: Which Ones Maximize Profits?, Journal of Managerial Issues, vol. 13, no. 1, Spring 2001.

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