Does anyone else go to work sick? [View all]

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Which Side Are You On? Activists Launch "Women for Paid Sick Days" Campaign to Press Mayoral Candidate Christine Quinn

http://www.alternet.org/story/156391/which_side_are_you_on_activists_launch_%22women_for_paid_sick_days%22_campaign_to_press_mayoral_candidate_christine_quinn/

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Women Working Sick

“Nearly 1 million New Yorkers don't get paid sick days—most are women working in low-wage service jobs like waitresses, retail clerks, day care providers and home care workers,” Maria Castaneda, Secretary-Treasurer of 1199 SEIU-UHE told the crowd. “For those women, unexpected illness or a child's doctor visit can cost a day's pay or even their jobs.”

According to a report by the Community Service Society, more than half of workers who handle food as part of their jobs, and 43 percent of those in close contact with children or the elderly don't get paid sick leave, meaning that when they work sick, they put others at risk as well. Marjorie Hill, CEO of the Gay Men's Health Crisis, pointed out that people with HIV are at increased risk of contracting illness from those around them, and are more likely to face serious consequences as a result, making paid sick days a priority for her organization, and a public health issue that should be of concern to all.

Ai Elo, a restaurant worker with the Restaurant Opportunities Center, works to support her two younger siblings, of whom she has primary custody. She pulled extra shifts to make enough money, but soon began to have knee and back problems. “My knees got so bad that I collapsed at work one day while serving a customer. Even then, my boss forbade me from going home until the end of my shift,” she said. “But as many women workers know, whether they are mothers or like me whether it's because they have primary custody over siblings or other relatives, putting your own health at risk is one thing but putting the health of loved ones at risk is a different story.” When a family emergency came up, Elo had to choose family over her job and stayed home, knowing it would cost her.

And yet paid sick days would actually save money for the city. The Institute for Women's Policy Research estimates that workers without paid leave don't see doctors as quickly as they should and wind up more dependent on emergency rooms. If New York City workers got paid sick days, they estimate, nearly 50,000 emergency room visits would be prevented, reducing health care costs by nearly $40 million.

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I know I have, although fortunately it hasn't ended me up in the ER.