Friday, March 12, 2010
Tweet[IWS] EXPANDING ACCESS to PAID SICK LEAVE: THE IMPACT OF THE HEALTHY FAMILIES ACT on AMERICA'S WORKERS [10 March 2010]
IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________
Joint Economic Committee (JEC)
Expanding Access to Paid Sick Leave: The Impact of the Healthy Families Act on America’s Workers [10 March 2010]
Press Release 10 March 2010
JEC Releases Report On Benefits of Paid Sick Leave
March 10, 2010
Joint Economic Committee Releases Report On Benefits of Paid Sick Leave
Washington, D.C. - Representative Carolyn Maloney, Chair of the Joint Economic Committee (JEC), and Senator Charles E. Schumer, Vice Chair of the JEC, released a report today estimating the impact of the Healthy Families Act (S. 1152, introduced by Senator Chris Dodd, and H.R. 2460, introduced by Representative Rosa DeLauro), on access to paid sick leave. The report, "Expanding Access to Paid Sick Leave: The Impact of the Healthy Families Act on America's Workers," was requested by the Senate Subcommittee on Children and Families and analyzes the demographics of workers who currently have access to paid sick leave and workers who would gain access to paid sick leave under the Healthy Families Act.
Using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the JEC estimated that:
**As a result of the Healthy Families Act, at least 30.3 million additional workers would have access to paid sick leave.
**The Healthy Families Act would significantly expand access to paid sick leave for many of America's most vulnerable workers, including lower-wage workers, women, and minorities.
o Almost half of the increased access to paid sick leave (14.7 million additional workers) would accrue to workers in the bottom wage quartile;
o Nearly half (13.3 million workers) of the increased access to paid sick leave would accrue to women workers; and,
o Almost one-third of the increased access to paid sick leave would accrue to minority workers, including 3.9 million additional African-American workers and 5.6 million additional Latino workers.
**The Healthy Families Act would also significantly expand access to paid sick leave for workers in professions with critical public health implications. For instance, 5.9 million additional food service and preparation workers would have access to paid sick leave due to the Healthy Families Act.
Chair Maloney said, "It's wrong that millions of workers have to choose between their paycheck and their health. It's also bad public policy: sick employees are less productive and can spread contagious illnesses to their co-workers and others with whom they interact. The Healthy Families Act would give 30 million workers, including those low-wage workers who are already living paycheck to paycheck, the peace of mind that they will still be able to keep their job if they get sick."
###
The Joint Economic Committee, established under the Employment Act of 1946, was created by Congress to review economic conditions and to analyze the effectiveness of economic policy.
________________________________________________________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.
****************************************
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016
Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************
