After a recent back injury, Russell McDaniel’s doctor told him to take two days off. “I was skeptical about whether I could. I did take the time off – but I sure regretted it when I got my paycheck,” said McDaniel, a Clean Power janitor who hopes to see a day soon when all Madison workers have a paid sick leave benefit.
Under the banner of “Health Families, Healthy City” McDaniel joined a broad coalition in unveiling a new campaign to win such benefits at a news conference on the steps of City Hall, August 10. While organizers say they are still in the “concept” stage, they hope to begin drafting an ordinance – the first of its kind – and work for passage by the Common Council this fall.
While union workers take paid sick time for granted, getting the flu or having a sick child wreaks havoc in the lives of many low-wage, nonunion workers, say coalition members. Without the ability to take paid time off, viruses are spread by fast food workers, treatment goes unattended, and our schools become a breeding ground for disease. Some even lose their jobs or can’t pay the rent when they get sick.
That’s why Vicky Selkowe, a lawyer with the UW Law School’s Neighborhood Law Project, is helping lead the effort. “I've worked with low-income clients who know firsthand that, without sick leave, they are forced to choose between their health and their paychecks,” she said. “Without a sick leave ordinance, they’re left with nothing but unacceptable choices. We can do better than that.”
Backed by the South Central Federation of Labor and the Interfaith Coalition for Worker Justice among other groups like Madison Urban Ministry, Wisconsin Citizen Action and the Wisconsin Early Childhood Association, proponents will gather input from area businesses and affected workers at a Town Hall meeting scheduled as Union Labor News goes to print.
Family Medical Leave Act provisions offer workers some protections, but the state and federal laws only guarantee unpaid leave in workplaces with more than 50 employees – and only if you’ve been on the job for over a year. Further, FMLA, offers little protection for workers dealing with short-term illnesses – and it does nothing for workers who lose pay while they’re out sick or taking care of a sick child.
The coalition is looking at the Healthy Families Act, federal legislation sponsored by Sen. Edward Kennedy and supported by Rep. Tammy Baldwin and Senator Russ Feingold as a model. The Kennedy bill (unlikely to pass in the Republican Congress) would allow workers seven paid sick days per year.
It’s estimated that nearly half of all American workers – and three quarters of those earning less than $20,000 a year – do not have any paid sick leave at all, according to the coalition. That’s in stark contrast to 117 nations worldwide where workers are guaranteed a week or more of paid sick days each year.
Reverend Calvin Harfst of Parkside Presbyterian Church, co-chair of the Interfaith Coalition for Worker Justice, said standing up for the have-nots in society is part of the ICWJ’s tradition of “comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable.” State Assembly Rep. Spencer Black also declared support for the effort at the press conference and said that he plans to introduce similar legislation at the state level, although its passage is also unlikely.
The lack of paid sick time is a significant cause of homelessness in Madison, said Marilyn Fell of the Community Action Coalition of South Central Wisconsin. “A few days of sick leave might not seem like a lot for most middle-class people, but for families on the margin, it can be the difference between living in an apartment and living in a car.”
Peggy Haack, a family child care provider and a representative of the Wisconsin Early Childhood Association, said a ripple effect undermines the child care system when workers and children are unable to stay home sick. “The work of child care demands physical stamina, emotional strength, and constant mental alertness. I cannot think of a workforce for whom it is more imperative to bring only our healthiest selves to work each day,” said Haack.
Public health nurse Daniel Stattelman-Scanlan said part of his job is to encourage individuals with communicable diseases to stay home so that illnesses are not spread into school, daycares and businesses. “We should not punish employees who need to stay home with a sick child. These working parents are helping prevent the spread of disease and promoting healthy school and work environments.”
“Employers need to understand that having sick and contagious people in the workplace is a bad idea,” he said. “Employees are not productive when they are sick at work and they spread illness to coworkers. This is poor management.”
Bad for Business?
The predicted outcry from business interests is that the proposed ordinance is just another regulation that will drive small businesses from Madison to surrounding areas. Healthy Families, Healthy City organizers estimate that the initiative would cost only $1 per week, per employee, and that the benefits to business far outweigh the costs.
“If the only answer anybody has is ‘oh, it’s antibusiness,’ that’s not a good argument,” said Madison alderman Austin King. “Germs are not pro-business. Disease in the workplace does not help employers.”
“They can say it’s antibusiness, but frankly any business of a certain size that will not offer paid sick leave is not the kind of jobs we need in Madison,” said Jim Cavanaugh, president of the South Central Federation of Labor. “Those who benefit the most from our free market system need to recognize some basic human rights for those who make them profitable.” The South Central Federation of Labor voted unanimously to endorse the effort, August 15.
“We hope that the business community will participate in this community conversation with an open mind. The data is very compelling; businesses that provide paid sick leave see a measurable, positive impact on their bottom line,” said Vicky Selkowe. “The reality is that half of Madison's workers lack this important benefit. It is simply not good enough to declare this is "antibusiness" and do nothing. We have an amazing opportunity to pass an ordinance and it’s all about strengthening families.”