“Among the many lessons from the pandemic is that everyone gets sick, and we all need the chance to get better. That was true before COVID-19, it’s true during the pandemic, and it will be true afterward. That’s why it is so urgent that every working person in our country be able to earn paid sick days. Shamefully, that isn’t the case today; in fact, 30 million workers – a quarter of the private sector workforce – cannot earn any paid sick days to use to recover from illness. Incredibly, these workers can hold jobs for decades without earning a day or even an hour of paid sick time. Even more working people cannot earn paid sick days to use to care for a child or other family member who is ill.

“It’s long past time for that to change. We need a care infrastructure for our economy to thrive and enacting the Healthy Families Act is an essential part of it. This commonsense bill would guarantee working people the ability to earn up to seven paid sick days a year to recover from short-term illnesses, access preventive health care, care for a child or family member who is ill, or seek help due to domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking. The Healthy Families Act would guarantee workers whose employers have fewer than 15 workers the ability to earn seven unpaid, job-protected sick days per year.

“Without paid sick days, workers are forced to make impossible choices when they get sick: stay home, lose wages and even risk their jobs; or go to work with COVID, stomach flu or strep throat, jeopardizing their health and spreading contagion. That’s an impossible choice and one nobody should have to make. The Healthy Families Act must be enacted this year.”

-Statement of Ruth Martin, Senior Vice President and Chief Workplace Justice Officer, MomsRising

“Enactment of the Healthy Families Act, which gives working people the right to earn paid sick days they can use to care for sick kids or family members as well as to recover from illness, is a high priority for America’s moms. We thank Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) and U.S. Senate Patty Murray (D-Wash.) for re-introducing and championing this bill and urge every member of Congress to support it, so President Biden can sign it into law.

“Paid sick and safe days keep people, and especially moms, in the jobs they need, save employers money by reducing turnover and the costs associated with it, and reduce the costs caused by presenteeism, when people are forced to come to work sick and spread contagion. They keep our workplaces productive, our communities healthy, our families financially secure, and our businesses and economy strong.

“Enactment of the Healthy Families Act would provide a boost for families, our economy and our public health. It is essential to a just and successful recovery from the pandemic. Congress should pass it right away.”

-Statement of Sara Alcid, Senior Campaign Director, Workplace Justice, MomsRising