Legislation Would Require Paid Sick Days (audio)
KXJZ Capital Public Radio
Aired 4/9/2008 on All Things Considered
Aired 4/10/2008 on Morning Edition
By Jenny O’Mara
California could be among the first states in the nation to require employers to provide paid sick days. The bill that’s modeled after a similar ordinance in San Francisco has been approved in a state legislative committee.
SACRAMENTO - Democratic Assemblywoman Fiona Ma’s measure would require employers to provide paid sick days to workers both part time and full time. Small companies would have to give five days and larger ones at least nine days.
Janel Martinez is lobbying for it. She says she worked two jobs as a single parent with no sick days and faced tough choices.
“And when I got sick or my son got sick I had to keep working or I had to choose whether or not to pay the bills at the end of the month…”
Marc Burgat with the California Chamber of Commerce says it’s another burden on business and isn’t the way to go in a troubled economy.
“The employer can only shoulder so many of those costs before they start to decide that it may not be in the best interest of the company to bring in new employees...”
The bill heads next to the Assembly Judiciary Committee.
Poll Shows California Voters Support Paid Sick Days Law
Three in four (73 percent) California voters are in favor of a law allowing all workers to earn paid sick days, according to a statewide survey released on August 5, 2008. The poll was conducted by the Field Research Corporation for the California Center for Research on Women and Families (CCRWF), a program of the nonprofit Public Health Institute. Support for such a law crosses party lines and includes 85 percent of Democrats, 75 percent of non-partisans and 56 percent of Republicans.
CA Paid Sick Days Bill Will Boost Public Health: New Report
A research report released on July 30, 2008 shows that the proposed California paid sick days legislation will have significant positive public health impacts. The report entitled A Health Impact Assessment of the California Healthy Families, Healthy Workplaces Act of 2008 was produced by Human Impact Partners and researchers at the San Francisco Department of Health.
» Report Summary 
» Full Report
Valuing Good Health in California: The Costs and Benefits of the Healthy Families, Healthy Workplaces Act of 2008
Executive Summary
Full Report
Testimony on the Healthy Families, Healthy Workplaces Act
Rajiv Bhatia, MD, MPH
Online Rally for Healthy Families
Call on Congress to support paid sick days! Share your own story about why paid sick days are important to you and your family!
August 5, 2008
POLL SHOWS CALIFORNIA VOTERS SUPPORT PAID SICK DAYS LAW
Findings follow new research showing positive public health benefits of AB 2716