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Subject: PA parents need paid sick days! Your message to friends:

Dear Friend,

It’s beginning to look a lot like back-to-school time! As parents across Pennsylvania are getting ready to send their kids back to school, they’re double checking their school supplies list. New crayons, backpack, up-to-date vaccinations? Check. Earned sick days? Nope. Not yet. But that could change with your help.

TODAY the Pennsylvania State House is holding a hearing on earned sick days. Click here to tell your representatives that paid sick days are a necessity for PA families! http://action.momsrising.org/cms/letter/PA_8_17_10_PSD/?referring_akid=.1615744.3mbTu1&source=taf

What’s the scoop?

The earned sick time bill was introduced in 2009 but hasn’t had much success advancing until now. The lead sponsor of the bill is holding a hearing *today* featuring public health and policy experts detailing how important earned sick days are to our families health and economic security.

A strong grassroots showing is critical to ensuring that this hearing is a success--and that the bill makes it out of committee and to the House floor for a vote. Your voice is needed! And, fortunately since summer is a busy time, you can make your voice heard in Harrisburg without having to drive there.

How? With one-click you can back up our partners in Harrisburg and send a message to your PA Representative to support earned sick days! http://action.momsrising.org/cms/letter/PA_8_17_10_PSD/?referring_akid=.1615744.3mbTu1&source=taf

Why is earned paid sick time so critical?

We all know how fast the flu can travel through a workplace, school, or child care center, yet 46% of PA employees are not allowed by their employers to earn sick time. That means they have an impossible choice between going to work sick, and losing a day’s pay (and possibly their jobs) if they stay home sick or with sick kids. This is a big problem – when sick folks aren’t able to stay home, it puts everyone’s health at risk – coworkers, restaurant patrons, school kids, and, well, everyone.

Earned sick time is good for working families, the public health and business. Earned sick time would help contain health care costs through prevention, early detection, and treatment of illness. With earned sick days, families will not be forced to send sick children to school and likely infect classmates and teachers; workers with paid sick days would not spread illness to their coworkers and customers; and businesses would benefit from more productive employees, higher employee morale and reduced turnover costs.

Don’t forget to send a message to your PA Representatives today! http://action.momsrising.org/cms/letter/PA_8_17_10_PSD/?referring_akid=.1615744.3mbTu1&source=taf

**And forward this to your friends and family so they can take action too!

Together we are a powerful force for women and families!

Thanks

P.S. Want to share your story about paid sick days? Click here: http://www.momsrising.org/submit/mrstory/psd?referring_akid=.1615744.3mbTu1&source=taf

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Pennsylvania Parents Need Paid Sick Days

Across Pennsylvania, 46% of employees are not allowed by their employers to earn sick time. That means they have an impossible choice between going to work sick, and losing a day’s pay (and possibly their jobs) if they stay home sick or with sick kids. This is a big problem – when sick folks aren’t able to stay home, it puts everyone’s health at risk – coworkers, restaurant patrons, school kids, and, well, everyone.

But that could change with your help!

TODAY the Pennsylvania State House is holding a hearing on earned sick days. Your voice is needed! Tell your representatives that paid sick days are a necessity for PA families!

Dear Legislator,

I'm a member of MomsRising.org, and I live in your district.  I'm writing today in support of the earned sick days bill and to you to ask that you contact your colleagues on the House Labor Relations Committee and encourage them to pass this bill.

The “Healthy Families, Healthy Work Places Act" (HB 1830) would ensure that all Pennsylvania workers could earn a minimum of 6.5 earned sick days annually to take care of their own health needs and those of family members. Sick days can also be used by victims of domestic violence for their medical, psychological, and legal needs.

Earned sick days are good for our families, for our public health, and for our businesses. Earned sick days would help contain health care costs through prevention, early detection, and treatment of illness. With earned sick days, families will not be forced to send sick children to school where they will likely infect classmates and teachers; workers with paid sick days would not spread illness to their coworkers and customers.
Providing earned sick days is smart business, Research shows that the costs of replacing workers, including advertising for, interviewing and training new employees often far outweighs the cost of retaining employees by offering paid sick days. [1] Additionally, presenteeism, when workers come to work sick, costs the nationally economy about 180 billion a year in lost productivity versus absenteeism.  [2]

There is overwhelming public support for earned sick days.  Republicans and Democrats all support paid sick days. Not only do people support earned sick days policies, but recent polling finds that workers favor candidates who support paid sick days over those who don’t. [3]

When you think about it, it is hardly surprising. We ALL get sick. When we’re worried about our kids’ health or our own health, we shouldn’t also have to worry if we’ll still have a job when we get better.

Thank you. 
 
[1] Christine Siegwarth Meyer, et al, Work-Family Benefits: Which Ones Maximize Profits?, Journal of Managerial Issues, vol. 13, no. 1, Spring 2001.
[2] Ron Goetzal, et al, Health Absence, Disability, and Presenteeism Cost Estimates, Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, April 2004.
[3] National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago for the Public Welfare Foundation, “Paid Sick Days, Attitudes and Experiences,” May 2010

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