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News release

Philly Moms Urge City Council to Override Nutter Veto of Earned Sick Days Bill

September 8, 2011
Paid Sick Days

Lisa Lederer, 202-371-1996

MomsRising Assists Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces in Delivering Germ-O-Grams with Messages About Importance of Earned Sick Days to Philadelphia Families
To send the message that no one wants to cuddle up with germs this flu season, members of the Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces, including Philadelphia area moms and kids today delivered fuzzy stuffed creatures representing germs to members of the Philadelphia City Council.  The “germ-o-grams” included messages from families across the Philadelphia area urging Council members to override Mayor Michael Nutter’s veto of earned sick days legislation earlier this month.
 
MomsRising, the online and on-the-ground grassroots organization of more than one million members fighting for economic security for families, helped to collect the messages, which included stories about the importance of earned sick days to families.
 
“Two out of five Philadelphia workers cannot earn paid sick days,” said MomsRising Executive Director Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner. “And while the germs being delivered today are cute and cuddly, no one wants to cuddle up with real germs during flu season. When sick people can’t stay home from work or when workers can’t stay home with sick kids, germs and contagious diseases are spread and we all pay the price. Allowing workers to earn sick days is a basic public health measure and even if the Mayor doesn’t recognize that, we hope City Council members will.”
 
Among the germ-o-gram messages are:
 
We need paid sick days in West Philly!
—Jim, Philadelphia, PA
 
Earned sick days now!
—Shani, Philadelphia, PA
 
Earned sick days without further delay!
—Ama, Philadelphia, PA
 
Vote YES on earned sick day!
—Katja, Philadelphia, PA
 
MomsRising has been working with the Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces for several months to generate support for the earned sick days bill.  MomsRising members in Philadelphia have sent hundreds of emails and made hundreds of calls to City Council members urging them to pass the bill.
 

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MomsRising.org is an on-the-ground and online grassroots organization of more than a million people who are working to increase family economic security, decrease discrimination against women and moms, and to build a nation where businesses and families can thrive. Established in 2006, MomsRising and its members are organizing and speaking out to improve public policy and to change the national dialogue on issues that are critically important to America’s families, including criminal justice reform, immigration policy reform, and gun safety. MomsRising is working for paid family and medical leave, affordable, high quality childcare and early learning, and for an end to the wage and hiring discrimination which penalizes women — particularly moms and women of color — and so many others. MomsRising advocates for access to healthy food for all kids, health care for all, earned sick days, and breastfeeding rights so that all children can have a healthy start. MomsRising maintains a Spanish language website: MamásConPoder.org. Sign up online at www.MomsRising.org — and follow us on our blog, and on Twitter and Facebook.