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Sidebar Alerts, Stories from OhioWhat Can Happen When Real Ohioans Don’t Earn Paid Sick Days?
They go to work sick…
"I worked for the same company for 43 years and never earned a single paid sick day. I went to work sick many times, and I am sure I got my coworkers sick. I also lived 40 miles away from work, and had to drive even when I was sick. I went because I had a family that depended on me and I needed to make sure the bills got paid."
-Willis McNabb
Thornville, Ohio
"There are no sick days where I work. If you miss work you are penalized for 3 months plus it goes against you on your yearly review. Because of this, many people are forced to come to work with the flu or other illnesses."
-Karl Hilbert
Cadiz, Ohio
They don’t go to regular medical checkups…
"As a physician, I have seen the long term benefits of timely preventive services and treatment of acute conditions. I have also seen the devastating effects of delaying these measures. Delays result in increased health care costs and longer absences from work and school. A policy of paid sick days which includes care for dependents and preventive services is the best way to keep our economy moving along and ultimately reducing health care costs."
-Dr. Alice Faryna
Columbus, Ohio
They take care of ill patients when they are sick…
"I am an RN. We have paid time off where I work, but we are only able to actually call off 4 times a year without being written up. We would lose our job after 6 offs. This is horrible. We work with very sick children and contract all types of illness, but can't call off. We also are forced to work when ill, thus exposing our patients."
-Julianne Johnson
Columbus, Ohio
They send sick children to school…
"As a school teacher, I have seen the kids who come to school because their mothers cannot stay home with their children for fear of losing their jobs because they have no sick leave. Their presence endangers other students of catching the cold or infection. Soon, several are absent and the teachers also are exposed to the illness. Consequently, valuable teaching time is lost, often during the important winter months."
- Jim Bennett
Chillicothe, Ohio
Posted by SickDaysOhio.org on July 7, 2008
Comments
Posted by dj hill at July 7, 2008 2:16 PM
Where I work, we don't get paid sick days at all. Whenever you come to work, you get paid. Why don't we all just sit around and get paid for it? isn't that what TANF and medicaid are for? Think about it. That money is coming out of someone's pockets. (Yours!)
Posted by Michele Merritt at July 23, 2008 9:50 AM
My husband is a drywall finisher and even works for a union. He gets NO paid leave of any kind, which makes it very difficult when one of our children are sick. I am forced to use all of my sick days for our kids and then there is nothing left for when I am not feeling well, usually forcing me to go to work sick. It would make things a lot less stressful if we could share in the responsibility of taking care of our family. My husband is not sick very often, but was in the hospital over night a few months back, and instead of focusing on getting better, we were stressed out about him missing one day of work because his check would be an entire day less. I'm hoping this new legislation passes; I am 100% for it.
Posted by Jean at July 30, 2008 6:52 PM
I work for a library system, 32 hours a week, no sick days, my fellow employees who work 40 hours a week get 16 days a year, which gets carrier over, I am even given some of their work, to ease their loads. I have asked for full time but am told no they don't want to pay benefits. Why should I get worked to death no health care, no vacation, no sick days, But all I get is more work. And did I mention that I am the lowest paid person there. I don't work in a branch, where they get to sit 75% of the time. I work where they get in new and used materials, clean and repair materials, all day long, Sometimes I have to do two jobs at one time, yes they even found a way for me to be able to do that!!!
Posted by Douglas O at August 12, 2008 9:00 AM
I googled Ohio Healthy Families Act,to see just what is contained in this ballot initiative, and came upon this argument against giving Ohio workers paid sick days.ohioemploymentlaw.blogspot.com/2008/01/deconstructing-ohio-healthy-families.html What a disgusting diatribe filled with misinformation and outright lies.Read it and know what we are up against. Another story in the search results was from The Ohio Roundtable.You can read this one at www.PlaySickOhio.com Thats right,it's called play sick Ohio and this one is even more repulsive.It was the number one in my google search.What these guys leave out of their name is the fact that this is The Ohio Business Roundtable, a pro-business lobbying group that represents business. They claim business will flee Ohio for their very lives if this is passed. Why would business leave over a simple proposal to give what every other nation in the industrialized world,and some not so industrialized,give their workers.Naturally they bring out the socialism boogie-man and say it is modeled on,now get this, San Francisco. You know what goes on there. They also claim it will be abused by everyone. They say you will be able to go to the gym and yoga as preventative health measures. Maybe so but I'm sure some white collar people use their sick days to golf.They have a breakdown of the costs with the "average Ohio wage of $20.60 per hour. I wish I made that, but unfortunately I barely make more then half that,$11 and change per hour,after two years on the job. Far too many Ohioans are sorely under paid with little if any benefits. As with myself,I have insurance but cannot even afford to use it due to the high co-payments and deductibles,not to mention I can't afford to miss a days pay. I cannot afford to insure my wife and if I could she would be rejected due to a heart condition.This is the sad state of blue collar and pink collar America in 2008. Our work lives and health care are dire straits and this would be a huge help to the working poor and the barely getting by.In other words Ohio businesses, get real. You offer the same thing to your salaried employees. Are you any better than me?