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Statement

STATEMENT OF KRISTIN ROWE-FINKBEINER, Executive Director and CEO, MomsRising.org, on New York City Council Passage of a Paid Sick Days Bill

May 8, 2013
Paid Sick Days

Lisa Lederer, 202-371-1996

MomsRising.org Leader Applauds Passage of New York City Paid Sick Days Bill, Urges Mayor to Sign into Law
“It’s been a long fight, but today the New York City Council heeded the call of New York families and passed a bill that would allow more than a million New Yorkers to earn paid time off to use when they are sick or to take care of sick child, spouse or parent. It’s now Mayor Bloomberg’s turn to stand up to corporate lobbyists, listen to the people who elected him, and sign this important bill into New York City law.
 
“MomsRising worked with a broad coalition of organizations to get this far. Our members have sent thousands of letters and made hundreds of phone calls to city councilmembers. They have signed petitions, rallied at City Hall, and shared their stories to explain how important earned sick days are to moms and their families. They have even hand-delivered messages addressed to Speaker Christine Quinn to convince her to let the vote go through.
 
“We have done all this because as moms we know first-hand that earned sick days make good public health policy. When people go to work sick or send their children to school sick, they spread germs and other people get sick. What’s more, people who don’t have earned sick days are more likely to be in jobs where they are in regular contact with other people, with children, with older adults or with food. It’s not hard to do the math there.
 
“No worker should ever, ever have to choose between losing a day’s pay and staying home to recuperate from illness or to care for a sick child. That’s not good for families, it’s not good for employees and it’s not good for business. We strongly urge Mayor Michael Bloomberg to recognize how important earned sick days are and to sign this bill into law.”
 

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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.