Columbus -- Workers should not have to choose between a paycheck and recovery when they get sick. But, that is the plight of 48 percent of private-sector workers and 79 percent of low-wage workers who lack a single paid sick day.
On Friday, April 6, 2007, the Service Employees International Union District 1199 (SEIU District 1199) submitted petitions and proposed legislation to Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann for an initiated statute to create a minimum standard of law for paid sick leave.
Under the Ohio Healthy Families Act, fulltime workers can earn a minimum of seven paid sick days per year and part time employees can earn a pro-rated amount of sick leave. The proposed legislation applies only to companies with 25 or more employees.
Under the proposed measure, sick leave time could be used by an employee to care for themselves, a child, parent or spouse who has a physical or mental illness, injury or medical condition or needs a diagnosis or preventive medical care.
"The Ohio Healthy Families Act is absolutely critical to ensuring that working men and women are not forced to choose between their jobs and the health of their families," said Megan Vahey, campaign manager for the Ohio Healthy Families Campaign. Vahey is also a staff person with SEIU District 1199.
SEIU District 1199 is committed to working with a broad-based coalition to ensure that workers have the opportunity to earn paid sick leave. This effort will begin the process of collecting the required 120,683 signatures to submit the proposed legislation to the Ohio General Assembly later this year.
Ohio is not the only state considering a measure to ensure paid sick leave.
New Jersey, Washington state and Illinois have already introduced bills to ensure paid sick leave. Oregon, Texas and Massachusetts are considering such legislation.
Similar measures have been proposed at the federal level as well.
For more information, please contact Jennifer R. Farmer, SEIU District 1199 Communications at 614.657.4017.
SEIU District 1199 is a health care and social service union. The union represents more than 28,000 members in Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky. District 1199 is a part of the Service Employees International Union, whose 1.8 million members make it the largest union in the country as well as the largest health care union in the world.
Posted by SickDaysOhio.org on June 13, 2007
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