Quit Horsing Around - We Need Paid Sick Days for All Workers

By -
In New York City the Health Department has proposed a new rule which would call for horses that are hitched to carriages that carry tourists to be given five weeks of job protected vacations every year. The horses would continue to enjoy their standard payment, room and board, during this time. This new regulation is not just for the humane treatment of animals but also the time off would likely prolong the horse’s work-life and enhance their productivity.

As discussed by Jodie Levin-Epstein in the Huffington Post:
Vacations are good for your health. And, you don't need to get away to any fancy Caribbean retreat to get the benefit of time-off from work. But it helps if you are a horse. In New York City, that is. It's time for Congress and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to pony-up to the value of vacation for two-legged workers.
In the United States, there is no minimum standard for even paid sick leave, leaving 48 percent of workers have no paid sick days, which includes 79 percent of childcare workers and 78 percent of food-service workers.

How can this be resolved? At the Federal level, The Healthy Families Act (S910, HR1542) proposes up to 7 days of paid sick leave for full time employees, with pro-rated leave for part-time workers. In Pennsylvania and Philadelphia similar legislation has also been introduced.

Please contact your legislators today and tell them to quit horsing around and give workers this basic right to be able to stay home when sick. Click on the links below for their contact information.
You can also tell your story! Are you a parent who lost their job to stay home with a sick child? Are you a business owner who provides/supports paid sick days? Are you a server or child care worker who has gone to work sick out of fear of losing your job? Share your story in the comment section below or email your story to us at policy@pathwayspa.org.

Image courtesy of: http://www.lovetoeatandtravel.com/Site/US/NY/Fun/carriage.htm

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Overlooked and Undercounted: Struggling to Make Ends Meet in Pennsylvania

By -
Image
Census data tells us that 13% of Pennsylvania households live in poverty. In reality, even more households don’t have the income they need to reach self-sufficiency. One in four Pennsylvania households – over 846,000 – lack enough income to cover just the necessities. Since 1997, PathWays PA has worked with Dr. Diana Pearce and the University of Washington to calculate  The Self-Sufficiency Standard for Pennsylvania . Over the last 23 years,  The Self-Sufficiency Standard of Pennsylvania  has documented the continuing increase in the real cost of living, illuminating the economic crunch experienced by so many families today. Since 2010, PathWays PA and the University of Washington have also issued three versions of the  Overlooked and Undercounted  report, which looks at the number of households living above and below self-sufficiency. You can now use the interactive materials below to find out what it takes to be self-sufficient in your county. Click here  to read the 2020 O
Read more

Mini-Budget Update-Supporting the American Community Survey

By MB -
Image
(via The Census Project ) Next Tuesday, June 19 is an important date to mark on your calendar. The Congressional Joint Economic Committee is holding a public hearing on the economic impact of eliminating the American Community Survey (ACS) at 2:30 p.m., in Room 210 of the Canon House Office Building. Witnesses that will be speaking in opposition to the move to eliminate the ACS are Vincent Barabba, former director of the Census Bureau in two GOP administrations and Ken Simonson, chief economist for the Association of General Contractors and also representing the National Association of Business Economists. It is very important that we pack the congressional hearing room! If you cannot come, please urge your colleages to come. If you represent a non-DC organization contact your friends in Washington and urge them to attend. Also on Tuesday of next week some of our congressional supporters will be holding a noon press conference in the so-called House Triangle right outside the Cap
Read more

Overlooked and Undercounted in the Media (#media)

By MB -
Image
Below are all of the places we've seen Overlooked and Undercounted in the month of May! If you know of anywhere else, please let us know! You can also listen to the audio from our May 11 Conference Call on our website . May 21, 2009 - New Report Says 1 in 5 PA Families Live in Poverty May 21, 2009 - LTE: Clarifying ‘Overlooked And Undercounted’ Study May 19, 2009 - Caught in a trap: State and federal governments must help working poor May 16, 2009 - Study: Local poverty estimates too conservative May 15, 2009 - Study: Pa. Families Above Poverty Level, But Still Struggling May 12, 2009 - Study: 1 in 5 PA Families Struggling to Make Ends Meet May 12, 2009 - Report: Many PA families struggling May 12, 2009 - PathWays PA Releases New Report on Self-Sufficiency Standard May 12, 2009 - Poverty worse in PA than reported: study May 11, 2009 - 1 in 5 PA Households Can't Make Ends Meet May 11, 2009 - Study: 1 in 5 PA residents can't make ends meet May 11, 2009 - 1 in
Read more