Call in sick? It's a matter of money
Many must choose between staying home and losing a day's pay
Star and news service report
Posted: October 13, 2009
Advising people to stay home from work if they come down with the H1N1 virus is, in many cases, like advising them to take a pay cut.
That's because 34 percent of
U.S.
workers don't get paid sick leave, according to the Labor Department. Among part-time workers, it's 72 percent.
"When you are struggling to figure how to pay the rent or make the car payment, what's the responsible thing to do?" asked Debra Ness, president of the National Partnership for Women and Families.
Ness
and members of other liberal advocacy groups are lobbying Congress for a law that would require employers to provide paid sick leave.
Legislation to accomplish that has sponsors in the House and Senate, and the Senate health committee will discuss the issue at a hearing this fall on preparedness for the H1N1 virus, according to a committee spokeswoman. But sick-leave legislation probably won't come up for a vote this year because health-care reform is taking up so much time.
San Francisco
,
Milwaukee
and
Washington
,
D.C.
, have laws requiring paid sick leave, and campaigns for similar laws are under way in other cities and at least 15 states. The New York City Council will hold a hearing on a proposed ordinance next month.
Neither
Indianapolis
nor the state has any laws or pending legislation addressing this issue, but the city has been working closely with employers to encourage them to be smart.
"We are talking to them about not penalizing employees for missing work, especially if they have flu-like symptoms," said John Althardt, spokesman for the Marion County Health Department.
If workers think they must report to work with the flu -- because otherwise they won't get paid -- the cost to a company could be much higher than it would be to pay for one day of sick leave, he said.
"For a restaurant, it could close the whole place down," he said. "We have seen the potential impact the flu can have on a company's bottom line."
State Rep. John Day, D-Indianapolis, said enacting legislation that requires companies to provide paid sick leave might be a good move, with some caveats.
"I think the concept's terrific," he said. "But we'd have to make some adjustments for small companies."
The Indiana Chamber of Commerce thinks differently.
"Such mandates come with unintended and costly consequences and simply are not effective ways to deal with workplace issues," Tom Schuman, spokesman for the chamber, said in a statement. "For public health reasons, workers who are sick with the flu need to stay home until they have recovered. We're confident that individual employers will work with employees as best they can to accommodate their needs."
Lack of paid sick time will come into even sharper focus if school closings are widespread during peak flu season early next year.
"Parents don't get excused from their responsibilities just because they are difficult," said Jody Siegle, executive director of the Monroe County School Board Association, which represents 21
New York
school districts.
But trying to solve the problem with legislation would create a costly government mandate for something best handled informally between employers and workers, according to the National Federation of Independent Business, the nation's largest trade organization representing small businesses.
Many low-wage workers can't afford to take a sick day and lose pay, said Andrew Friedman, executive director of Make the Road New York, a
New York City
advocacy group for immigrant workers.
"There's an enormous financial incentive to do what is the worst for the public health, which is report for work when they are sick," Friedman said.
