No paid sick leave for 59 million workers

[question everything]

This was on ABC News a few days ago:

Collins is one of 59 million American workers who have no paid sick days at all. She's also among the 86 million who do not get a single paid day off to care for a sick child.

Of the 20 most competitive economies in the world, according to research by the World Economic Forum, the U.S. is the only one not to require businesses to provide paid sick days.

The federal government requires most employers to provide 12 weeks a year of unpaid leave for serious medical conditions. Advocates for paid sick leave say that until the law requires companies to provide a few paid sick days, millions of Americans will have no choice but to do what Collins does: work, when they should stay home.

"Many of these people are in the very industries you least want to have coming to work sick. They're folks who are food service workers, handling our food, child care workers, taking care of our kids, folks who work in nursing homes, in hospitality and retails," says Debra Ness of the National Partnership for Women and Families.

(snip)

Recently, San Francisco became the first city in the country to require businesses to offer paid sick days, and similar bills are pending in Madison, Wis., and in the states of Massachusetts, Maine and Vermont. Earlier this month, the U.S. Senate held hearings on a federal mandate for paid sick days, and next month the House is expected to hold hearings of its own.

http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=2896115&page=1

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1. It's a sad fact

I'm one of the fortunate ones. My agency provides a very good benefits package including a generous number of sick days (the number we are given per years varies depending on our years of service, and we can carry over up to 240 per year). However we are reminded periodically that our sick leave, vacation leave and personal leave are privileges and not entitlements, as are our health and dental insurance--lest we get too complacent. A friend of mine is alloted a mere three sick days per year and no vacation time. I'm thrilled not to be working for her company.