News release
New Poll Finds Strong Support for Passing Paid Sick Leave Law Among Washington Voters
July 20, 2016
Lisa Lederer, 202-371-1996
Plurality of Washington Voters Say They Are ‘More Likely’ to Vote for a Candidate Who Supports Paid Sick Leave
Washington residents strongly support ensuring all workers can earn paid sick leave, according to a new public opinion survey. The poll, which was conducted by the national Work Family Strategy Council in 15 states, found that 71 percent of voters in Washington support new paid sick day laws — including 2-1 support among Independent voters.
A plurality of Washington voters also say that the issue of paid sick days would influence who they vote for in November. A substantially larger share of voters say they are more likely to vote for an elected official or candidate who supports paid sick days.
The Work Family Strategy Council, which conducted the new public opinion survey, is a partnership of 15 national organizations that work on policies that help working families, including MomsRising.
“As an organization representing more than a million moms, dads and others nationwide, we know no one should have to choose between staying home to take care of themselves or a sick child and losing a paycheck, but too many face that harsh reality. This hurts families, businesses, and our Washington economy alike. It’s time to update this policy.” said Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, CEO and executive director of MomsRising. “This new poll shows us that the majority of Washingtonians agree with us: Everyone should have access to earned sick days. This November, voters have the opportunity to lift families and businesses by advancing sick days with Initiative 1433.”
Initiative 1433 — which is sponsored by a coalition of workers, unions, business owners, faith leaders and community organizations — would ensure all Washington workers have the opportunity to earn up to seven days of paid sick and safe leave, extending this crucial workplace policy to an additional one million Washingtonians. Initiative 1433 would also raise the statewide minimum wage to $13.50 over four years, putting $600 more in the pockets of more than 730,000 minimum-wage workers every month.
"Many mothers like me know that we must squeeze every penny, and we all dread the fact that our children will inevitably get sick because we cannot afford to miss a day of work," said Angelica Gonzalez, a MomsRising member and single mom from Tacoma. "I know first-hand how hard it is to work without paid sick days and raise a family. Moms vote and moms know that paid sick leave is vital to our families and our economy."
Nationally, 80 percent of low wage workers don’t have access to a single paid sick day, and two-thirds of minimum wage workers are women, making these two issues together critical for women and moms in particular. Further, studies show that the cost of “presenteeism,” going to work sick, far exceeds the cost of sick days due to the spread of illness in the workplace and increased productivity brought forward by the policy.
MomsRising has endorsed a “Yes” vote on Initiative 1433, and helped the campaign gather signatures to qualify for the November ballot.