Statement
‘A Monumental Step Forward for Working Families in Maryland’: Moms Group Praises Senate Passage of Maryland Paid Sick Days Legislation, Urges Gov. to Sign Bill
March 16, 2017
Lisa Lederer, 202-371-1996
Statement from Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, CEO and Executive Director of MomsRising.org, a national online and on-the-ground organization of more than 1 million mothers and their families, on the Maryland State Senate’s passage of the Healthy Working Families Act
“Today the Maryland State Senate passed SB 230, the earned sick days bill with a veto-proof majority, clearing another hurdle for this commonsense, badly needed legislation. There are still some steps to take before the bill lands on Governor Hogan’s desk but, when it does, we urge him to immediately sign it into law. Gov. Hogan should reconsider his threat to veto it.
“Across Maryland, 750,000 working people do not have any paid sick days they can use to care for themselves or their children when they get sick. This means working Marylanders often have to make impossible choices between going to work sick – or sending a sick child to school – and staying home and losing an invaluable day’s pay. Lack of access to paid sick days is especially hard on people of color, and particularly women of color – approximately half of Latina workers and more than a third of African American women currently cannot earn paid sick days.
“For the last five years, Maryland MomsRising members have been proud to join the Working Matters coalition in fighting for this commonsense policy. The coalition’s leadership and advocacy made this victory possible. MomsRising members and their children have worked hard to get this legislation passed -- donning superhero capes and visiting Annapolis to meet legislators and deliver books filled with stories from our members across the state that illustrate the importance of earned sick leave.
“While we celebrate this milestone and move closer to winning earned sick days in Maryland, we are reminded that in other states, many workers still have to choose between a paycheck and their health. You shouldn’t have to win the ‘location lottery’ to take a day off with pay to care for a sick child or recover from your own illness or injury. Paid sick days are clearly beneficial to workers, but studies show they are also beneficial to employers and the economy as a whole. They keep people in the jobs they need and save employers money because offering paid sick days is much less expensive than replacing workers. Our national economy suffers roughly $160 billion a year in lost productivity when employees go to work sick.
“The passage of the Maryland Healthy Working Families Act is a victory for Maryland’s workers, its businesses and the state economy. On behalf of MomsRising and our Working Matters coalition partners, we thank state legislators for their votes and for their hard work on this bill. We now urge Governor Hogan to sign this legislation and make paid sick days a reality in Maryland.”