Sanders Unveils Bill Guaranteeing Up to 7 Days of Paid Sick Leave for US Workers

On Wednesday, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) launched a invoice that might, for the primary time, assure paid sick go away for employees throughout the U.S. and finish the nation’s streak as the one rich nation on earth that doesn’t be certain that its employees can take off work once they’re sick.

The invoice would enable employees to earn as much as seven days of paid sick go away per yr, accruing a minimal of 1 hour of paid sick time for each 30 hours labored as much as 56 hours of go away a yr. Today might be used for a employee’s personal sickness or for them to go to the physician or handle sick members of the family and kids.

Sanders and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Connecticut) launched the bill, entitled the Wholesome Households Act, alongside 41 different senators and 80 different Home representatives. It has the endorsement of over 120 organizations, together with many main labor unions just like the AFL-CIO.

“The time is lengthy overdue for the Congress to start listening to the wants of working households, struggling folks, and never simply large cash pursuits,” Sanders said at a press conference on the invoice on Wednesday.

Analyses have shown that the U.S. is the one rich nation on earth that doesn’t assure paid sick go away, leaving about 34 million workers with out the flexibility to earn a single paid sick day. That is about 25 percent of workers within the personal sector and 9 % of public sector employees.

This has wide-reaching penalties for employees. Analysis has found that employees with out paid sick go away are 3 times extra more likely to forgo medical look after themselves, endangering themselves and generally their coworkers. This especially affects lower-wage employees, who disproportionately lack entry to paid sick go away, and both need to forgo essential pay with the intention to get better or threat their well being by attending work anyway.

Sanders emphasised that, if members of Congress actually cared about employees, they’d go his invoice.

“We hear right here in Washington a variety of discuss household values,” he mentioned. “Nicely, let me provide you with my perspective on what household values means to me and what it means to our nation.”

“When a spouse is identified with most cancers and a husband can’t take break day of labor to handle her, that’s not a household worth, that’s an assault on every little thing {that a} household is meant to face for,” mentioned Sanders. “When a working mother … is compelled to ship her sick baby to high school as a result of she can’t afford to remain house with that child, that baby, that’s not a household worth. That’s an assault on every little thing {that a} household is meant to face for.”

“At a time of file breaking company earnings and exorbitant CEO pay, the concept the richest nation within the historical past of the world can’t assure paid go away for its employees is a world embarrassment,” the lawmaker concluded.

Lawmakers also called for Congress to go common paid household go away, which isn’t included within the invoice, on the press convention. The U.S. can be the only wealthy country in the world – and one in all seven nations on earth – that doesn’t assure paid household go away to its employees.

Sanders and plenty of Democrats had fought for common paid sick and household go away to be included within the social gathering’s main funds reconciliation bundle negotiated in President Joe Biden’s first yr in workplace, however the provisions had been nixed after fierce opposition from conservative Democrats in Congress.

Nonetheless, the idea of assured paid sick and household go away is extraordinarily well-liked among the many public. Polling by Navigator final yr discovered that 80 % of voters help establishing common paid sick and household go away, together with 89 % of Democrats.