Denver mommies and daddies with their babies, toddlers and preschool-aged children expressed their outrage that businesses don’t provide paid sick days to workers who interact with the public as they spoke out in favor of Initiative 300 at Hirshorn Park playground today.
The parents pointed out various different ways a lack of paid sick days potentially puts the health of Denver families at risk – through sick restaurant cooks and servers, childcare providers and healthcare workers who report to work ill and possibly spread their illness on to my kids or others.”
“I believe all workers should have access to paid sick days – and with over 107,000 workers without paid sick days, my kids' health is put at risk,” said mother Nicole Tembrock. “When we go to the grocery store or their preschool, I want to know that those workers are able to stay home when sick, and not be faced with having to come to work sick to possibly spread their illness on to my kids and others."
“Preschools are already Petri dishes with young children sharing toys and wrestling around on the playground,” said Amber Minogue, the mother of a four-year-old. “The last thing I want to worry about is Riley coming down with the flu because one of the childcare providers had to come into work sick because she couldn’t afford to take the day off to recover.”
Parents without paid sick days often send their children to school sick, exposing their classmates and teachers to contagious illness, because their economic security demands it.
“I dread when my older children get sick or have asthma attacks because I want to stay home with them so they can recover – and protect their classmates from the crud, too,” said Stasia, a worker who is unable to earn paid sick leave at one of her two part-time jobs. “But what am I supposed to do? I might not be able to pay the rent, put gas in the car or put food on the table if I miss even one shift’s pay.”
“I have paid sick days at my job, which I consider to be a basic workplace standard,” said father Jason McCain. “It gives me and my family the peace of mind to know I never have to choose between being a good parent and a good employee. I can be both.”
The Campaign for a Healthy Denver – a coalition of more than 120 community organizations, labor groups, faith leaders and organizations, public health groups, elected officials and businesses – seeks to pass Initiative 300, the Denver ballot initiative to protect public health by guaranteeing a basic standard of paid sick days for employees in all Denver workplaces.
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