When Swine Flu (H1N1) hit New York City last spring, public health officials and even President Obama told us to stay home if we felt sick.
It’s good advice for stopping the spread of germs. But for the more than one million New Yorkers who don’t have a single paid sick day where they work, staying home might not be an option.
With schools re-opening and experts warning that H1N1 will make a comeback this fall, the Working Families Party and a broad coalition of allies are working to make sure every New Yorker is guaranteed paid sick days where they work.
A Paid Sick Days bill has just been introduced in the City Council, and it’s already got 36 co-sponsors! But we need to show City Hall that it’s also got the support of regular New Yorkers.
Add your name to the petition: Paid Sick Days should be a basic workplace standard:
New York wouldn’t be the first city to guarantee paid sick days for everyone - but it might be the place that stands to benefit the most.
Nearly two-thirds of low-wage workers in New York City have no paid sick days - and many of them work in the places where disease is most likely to spread. A survey of restaurant workers found that 84% don’t have paid sick days, and a majority report coming to work sick.
With strong support in the City Council, we can pass the paid sick days bill this fall–if New Yorkers speak up. Take a moment and add your name to the paid sick days petition:
http://action.workingfamiliesparty.org/t/3865/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=640
