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Paid Sick Days

The public-health case for mandatory paid-sick-leave laws

June 29, 2011
Paid sick leave legislation such as the Seattle City Council is considering makes sense, because when people work sick they infect others. Seattle's politicians should listen to the public and enact a mandate. I work at a place where we don't have paid sick days. We sell food and medicines. We...

Paid Sick Leave in Seattle

June 27, 2011
There are approximately 190,000 people working in Seattle without paid sick leave. If you are not one of them, why should you care? Because, if they get sick, they go to work sick handling your food, your groceries, or your personal items in your home while caring for your loved ones. And it does...

Survey: 88% of Working Parents Suffer Stress-related Health Problems

June 20, 2011
Working parents have a lot to juggle, and this can create stress. But what we often overlook is that stress has real health consequences. Several weeks ago, I put together a survey * asking working parents about stress and its effects on their health. More than 600 people responded. I filtered out...
Katrina Alcorn's picture

What Do Working Dads Want For Father's Day? According to a New Report, They Want Family-Friendly Workplace Laws and Policies

June 16, 2011
“I want to be the dad who attends all the little league games and dance recitals, the dad who is there in the afternoon/evening to help with homework, the dad who sits down to dinner with his family every night. My current job does not allow for that to happen.” — media professional and father of...
Jared Make's picture

Paid Sick Days Laws Could Become Contagious

June 15, 2011
It may be time to say, "As Connecticut goes, so goes the nation." Any day now, Connecticut's governor is expected to place his John Hancock on a bill that will make Connecticut the first state in the nation to enact a minimum standard for paid sick days. That sends "an important signal to the other...
Jodie Levin-Epstein's picture

Your phone has super powers in Philadelphia!

June 15, 2011
UPDATE: Great news! The Earned Sick Days bill passed the Philadelphia City Council last week by 1 vote! Congratulations to the Coalition for Health Families and Workplaces and all the Moms Rising members who took the time to send stories and contact City Council members. But there is one last step...
Ruth Martin's picture

It’s heating up in Philly!

June 9, 2011
It is HOT! And we’re not just talking about the weather! The Philadelphia campaign for earned sick days is heating up this week. The City Council is debating the bill *this* Thursday and is expected to vote on the bill *next* Thursday. The vote is going to be close. We need to act now to make sure...
Ruth Martin's picture

The Benefits of Paid Sick Days

June 8, 2011
In recent weeks, I've written here and here about legislation before Philadelphia City Council that would allow every worker in the city to earn paid sick days. To round things out, I am now passing along an op-ed I co-authored with Lonnie Golden, a professor of economics and labor studies at Penn...

A Pepsi Experiment: Providing Critical Information to Community Leaders

June 7, 2011
The Institute for Women's Policy Research is venturing into new territory. IWPR has been selected to compete in the Pepsi Refresh Project , a voter-driven contest that could win IWPR $25,000 for raising awareness on the status of women. With previous grants going to projects that build playgrounds...
Jennifer Clark's picture

Paid Sick Days Can Help Make Philadelphia a High Road City of Opportunity

June 1, 2011
Last week, I wrote that when you look at the positive benefits and the low costs of Philadelphia’s proposed paid sick days legislation, it could end up paying for itself. As I wrote that, I could almost hear a collective gasp from neoclassical economists: “If it paid for itself, employers would...

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