Statement
STATEMENT OF KRISTIN ROWE-FINKBEINER, Executive Director and CEO, MomsRising, On Montgomery County, MD Paid Sick Days Law
June 23, 2015
Lisa Lederer, 202-371-1996
Moms Celebrate Strongest Ever Paid Sick Days Legislation; Montgomery County, MD Sets Precedent for the Country
“Today the Montgomery County Council in Maryland passed the Earned Safe and Sick Leave bill, which allows all workers to earn one hour of leave for every 30 hours worked, with a maximum of 56 hours a year. This is the strongest paid sick leave legislation in the United States. We would like to see it become a model for the nation.
“MomsRising thanks the Working Matters coalition for their tremendous leadership in Montgomery County. MomsRising members were proud to be part of this effort, hosting local ’paid sick day’ play dates, meeting with their local legislators, and sharing their stories about the need for paid sick days.
“Stories such as the one shared with us by Sarah, a guidance counselor at a public high school in Montgomery County, who wrote that she’s seen first-hand parents without paid sick leave who were forced to send their sick children to school, rather than staying home to care for them. Kids forced to go to school in this circumstance are unable to concentrate, and ultimately lose out on a day’s learning, she says. They put their classmates and teachers at risk of getting sick too, creating a public health nightmare.
“The sad fact is, prior to the passage of this legislation, four in ten workers in Montgomery County did not have access to paid sick days to take care of a sick child or other family member, or tend to their own health needs. While we celebrate this victory, we are reminded that in other states, and even other counties in Maryland, many workers still have to choose between a paycheck and their health. Your ability to take a day off to care for a sick child or recover from your own illness or injury should not depend on your zip code.
"Paid sick days are win-win-win. Studies show that access to paid sick days policies improve public health, family economic security, and the economy. Paid sick days keep people in the jobs they desperately need and save employers money because offering earned paid sick days is much less expensive than the cost of replacing workers. In fact, our national economy also suffers when workers go to work sick; costing us roughly $160 billion a year in lost productivity.
“On behalf of MomsRising and our members in Montgomery County, we thank the County Council and our Working Matters coalition partners for all of their hard work on this legislation. Together we have set a paid sick leave precedent that will make Montgomery County a model for the entire country.”