Tell Mayor Bloomberg and Council Speaker Quinn that the paid sick days bill must be a top priority this year!

Today, the Paid Sick Time Act will be re-introduced in the New York City Council. With your help we can bring paid sick days to New Yorkers this year -- but we have to make sure our city's leadership knows that this issue matters to women and families.

Tell the city's leaders to make paid sick days a priority today!

First Name:

Last Name:

Email:

Street address:

City:

State:

ZIP:

Not ? Click here.

Optional: enter friends' e-mail addresses to send them this page (preview message/add note):

Subject:

A message for NYC's Leaders

Your message to friends:

Dear Friend,

It was an awesome moment last fall when Gloria Steinem stood on the steps of city hall, demanding a paid sick days law to support women across the city.

Today, the bill that Gloria was fighting for will be re-introduced in the New York City Council. That's right. With your help we can bring paid sick days to New Yorkers this year -- but we have to make sure our city's leadership knows that this issue matters to women and families.

Tell Mayor Bloomberg and Council Speaker Quinn that the paid sick days bill must be a top priority this year! http://action.momsrising.org/cms/letter/NY_PSD_3-25-10/?source=taf

Why are paid sick days so important for New York?
Over one million workers in New York City do not have one single paid sick day. A disproportionate number of these workers have a high level of interaction with the public, including those who handle and serve our food. The H1N1 virus outbreak in the United States and around the globe clearly highlights the crucial nature of this legislation.

When someone can't afford to miss pay or risk losing their job, they end up going to work or sending a child to school sick and ultimately put us all at risk. Allowing workers with contagious diseases to avoid unnecessary contact with co-workers and customers is a fundamental public health measure. Our laws are clearly out of sync with responsible public health practices.

Our current sick days policy (or lack thereof) isn't safe, and it's time to make a change.

And, it's especially important to make these changes for women. In her speech, Gloria explained why: "The fact is that women need [access to paid sick days] more than anyone else. Women still have so much more family responsibility than men... The increased responsibilities for caregiving that women carry mean that women are more likely to be at risk for punishment and termination under bad policies and practices."

Tell the city's leaders to make paid sick days a priority today! http://action.momsrising.org/cms/letter/NY_PSD_3-25-10/?source=taf

Thanks!

P.S. For more information about this campaign and how to get involved, please visit www.abetterbalance.org

Add a short note (optional, up to 500 characters):

Dear Mayor Bloomberg and Speaker Quinn,

I am writing to urge you to support the working families of New York City by passing the Paid Sick Time Act.
 
Over one million workers in New York City do not have one single paid sick day.  A disproportionate number of these workers have a high level of interaction with the public, including those who handle and serve our food. The H1N1 virus outbreak in the United States and around the globe clearly highlights the crucial nature of this legislation.
 
When someone can't afford to miss pay or risk losing their job, they end up going to work or sending a child to school sick and ultimately put us all at risk. Allowing workers with contagious diseases to avoid unnecessary contact with co-workers and customers is a fundamental public health measure. Our laws are clearly out of sync with responsible public health practices. It isn't safe and it's time to make a change.
 
Additionally in these troubled times, businesses cannot afford "presenteeism," when sick workers come to work and infect their colleagues rather than stay at home. "Presenteeism" costs our national economy $180 billion annually in lost productivity. For employers, this cost averages $255 per employee per year, and exceeds the cost of absenteeism and medical and disability benefits.
 
The Paid Sick Time Act will make a significant difference in the lives of New York's working families. Please support this crucial legislation.

Sincerely,