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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. Marc Gergely |
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Gergely urges support for paid sick leave
Only 39 percent of U.S. workers have paid sick leave
HARRISBURG, Aug. 17 – At a Capitol news conference today, state Rep. Marc Gergely urged the state legislature to help working families by passing his legislation that would require most employers to allow workers to accumulate paid sick leave.
"Without a state or federal law requiring paid sick leave, many hardworking Pennsylvanians are being forced to choose between taking care of their health or the health of a loved one and paying the bills," Gergely said. "The problem puts all of us at risk when someone with a contagious illness goes to work or sends a sick child to school or day care."
Gergely said his plan, H.B. 1830, would create the Healthy Families, Healthy Workplaces Act, which would allow employees to accrue paid sick leave as follows:
· One hour of sick leave for every 40 hours worked. Employers could cap paid sick leave at 52 hours per year.
· Small-business employers with fewer than 10 employees would only be required to provide one hour of sick leave per 80 hours worked, and would not be required to provide more than 26 hours of paid sick leave per year.
· All employees could use paid sick leave after completing 90 days of work.
· All employees could carry over up to 40 hours of paid sick leave to the next calendar year.
"This is a quality-of-life and family-values issue," Gergely said. "No one should have to make the choice between their health or caring for a loved one and their job. This legislation would immediately help the 27 percent of full-time employees and 74 percent of part-time employees who go to work without the option to take a paid sick day."
According to a survey released by the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics, 39 percent of private industry workers do not have access to paid sick leave. The survey found a variety of factors affects the availability of paid sick leave. While 84 percent of professional and management workers have it, the rate drops to 42 percent of service workers. Low wage workers have the least access to paid sick leave. Only 33 percent of workers in the bottom quarter of wage earners can use paid sick leave compared to 81 percent of the top quarter of wage earners.
Gergely said providing paid sick leave would make the work force more productive and reduce the risk of illness in schools. A new survey conducted by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago found 55 percent of people without paid sick leave have gone to work sick. Plus, workers without paid sick leave are nearly twice as likely to send a sick child to school or day care.
"This bill is an important step toward helping to protect the economic security of working families who have to choose between a paycheck and their health and the health of their families," Gergely said.
Gergely said the federal Family and Medical Leave Act only requires employers with 50 or more employees to provide unpaid leave to eligible workers under a limited set of circumstances.
The House Labor Relations Committee held a hearing on the bill following the news conference.
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