Millions forced to work while sick

[Omaha Steve]

http://peoplesworld.org/millions-forced-to-work-while-sick/

by: Dan Margolis
April 12 2011

Millions of American workers have no paid sick days at all, especially those who need them the most, says a recent "snapshot" by the Economic Policy Institute.

A whopping 38 percent of the workforce gets no paid time off when they are ill, and the further you look down the wage scale, the number becomes higher. Of the top 10 percent of wage earners, 86 percent are entitled to paid sick days.

At the other end of the scale, only 19 percent of those in the bottom tenth percentile can take time off when they're physically ill without feeling their wallet suffer too.

The information was compiled by the labor-backed think tank from the March 2010 National Compensation Survey that was conducted by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Raising the Global Floor, a 2010 study by Jody Heymann and Alison Earle, cited by the policy institute, found that of 190 nations studied, 163, "almost all of them much poorer than the United States," guarantee paid time off for sick workers.

"A law giving American workers that same benefit could increase productivity in the workforce through heightened worker loyalty, reduced turnover and reduced workplace illness," says the EPI website.

FULL story at link.

[FiveGoodMen]

1. How much have we lost in just the last decade?

How long had it taken us to get there?

[GKirk]

2. I'm not sure I can agree with all this:

"A law giving American workers that same benefit could increase productivity in the workforce through heightened worker loyalty, reduced turnover and reduced workplace illness,"

If it were required everywhere by law I don't see how that would increase loyalty.
and as far as reduced workplace illness most illnesses are spread before the symptoms show up.

[LARED]

3. Things certainly have changed over the last 15 + years

In the past I got sick days as needed. Anything over 3 days required a Dr's note. Sick days were tracked, but as long as you did not abuse the benefit all was well. Vacation time was not used for sick time, unless you were abusing the sick time policy and were concerned you would get fired. Had 12 day of paid holidays.


Now I have 6 paid holidays. Zero sick time. If I am sick I get to take Paid Time Off. (what used to be called vacation time).

I have a good paying job for a good company, so I have it better than most. I think.

[EC]

4. Worse than that..

many of us can't even take unpaided sick days without proof from a Doc, meaning it'll cost us more than an unpaid day, it'll cost us a doctors bill too.