Our country’s failure to allow all workers to earn paid sick days has created a crisis for working moms and families. It is truly shameful that more than 40 million workers cannot earn any paid sick days – and low-wage workers are the hardest hit. But the Workflex in the 21st Century Act is not the solution we need. In fact, it would be a huge step backward for the country, undermining state and local progress in letting workers earn paid sick days and eliminating the certainty and flexibility that real paid sick time and fair scheduling laws provide.

Today in the United States, millions of moms struggle with impossible choices. Each time a child gets sick, they choose between losing pay and staying home with a sick child – or between losing pay and sending a sick child to school or childcare. To address this crisis, 40 jurisdictions, including eight states and many major cities, have or will soon have paid sick days laws in place. The Workflex in the 21st Century Act would stall or reverse that state and local progress. It is unfair, undemocratic and unworkable, and would be a step backward for the country. It would endanger paid sick day guarantees for the 13 million people who have gained access thanks to state and local laws.

The political power of moms and families has brought paid sick days and paid leave to the forefront of public discussion. America’s moms, workers, families and communities need Congress to pass the Healthy Families Act, to establish a national paid sick days standard, as well as the FAMILY Act, to provide a guaranteed amount of paid family and medical leave for all workers in our country, not just those who win the location or boss lottery. The Workflex in the 21st Century Act is a sham that would do more harm than good. We need real solutions.

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