Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro (D-CT) introduced the Health Families Act, which would provide paid sick days to millions of Americans, so workers would no longer have to choose between their health, their family’s health and their jobs. A new report by the Center for Economic and Policy Research, “Contagion Nation: A Comparison of Paid Sick Day Policies in 22 Countries,” also introduced today, found that the United States is the only country among 22 countries ranked highly in terms of economic and human development that does not guarantee that workers receive paid sick days or paid sick leave. Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA) is expected to introduce companion legislation in the Senate later in the week.

“Every worker should have paid sick days – it is a matter of right and wrong. Being a working parent should not mean choosing between your job, taking care of yourself, and taking care of your family,” said Congresswoman DeLauro. “With the H1N1 outbreak, countless public health officials urged people to follow a simple guideline: If you get sick, stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them. Yet for many Americans, following this sound advice is impossible. Almost half of all private sector workers, 57 million, do not have a single paid sick day. These workers put their jobs on the line every time they take a day off.”

Even though Americans strongly support paid sick days, almost half of private-sector workers –57 million – are denied paid sick days and of the lowest quarter of wage earners, 79% have no paid sick days at all. And while children get well faster when a parent cares for them, 94 million working people do not have paid sick days to care for an ill child—and cannot afford to take time off without pay. As a result, children are forced to go to school sick.

The Healthy Families Act allows workers to earn paid sick time to address medical needs and care for family members.

· Workers can earn up to 56 hours (7 days) of paid sick time. Workers earn 1 hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours worked.

· Workers can use this time to stay home and get well when they are ill, to care for a sick family member, to obtain preventative or diagnostic treatment, or to seek help if they are victims of domestic violence.

The Act provides these important protections while addressing business concerns.

· Small employers with fewer than 15 employees are exempt from the Act.

· Employers that already provide this leave will not have to change their current policies at all, as long as their existing leave can be used for the same purposes described in the Act.

· Employers can require workers to provide documentation supporting any request for leave longer than 3 consecutive days.

The Act will benefit workers, business, and our economy by reducing the spread of disease, decreasing employee turnover, and improving productivity.

· “Presenteeism” – when sick workers come to work and infect their colleagues rather than stay at home – costs our national economy $180 billion annually in lost productivity. For employers, this costs an average of $255 per employee per year, and exceeds the cost of absenteeism and medical and disability benefits.

· Lack of paid sick days results in higher employee turnover, especially for low-wage workers. This turnover costs employers nearly $2 billion annually.

· Children who are sick recover faster if parents are present – this can help lower healthcare expenditures.