In Massachusetts, workers calling in sick will no longer feel the pinch as voters have approved a state-wide paid sick leave mandate last week. The law applies to public as well as private employers who have a staff of at least 11 people. Seen as a measure to help workers recover from illness or attend to a sick family member, it ensures provision of 40 hours of paid sick leave to employees in a year.
The law will benefit around one million workers in Massachusetts, especially low-wage earners.
Vicki Shabo of the National Partnership for Women and Families, an organization that supports the law, feels that paid sick leave is a basic, minimum protection that should be available to the workers in order to save them from choosing between attending to an ailing family member and their source of income.
Research says that paid sick leaves enhance worker’s productivity and prevent the spreading of contagious diseases. From bandita.
Although workers’ rights for paid leave is gaining support, with no federal provision to back it up, Americans will have wait and see if this change is implemented across the country.
According to the Center for Economic Policy and Research, the U.S. is the only advanced economy to deprive its workers of paid holidays. The report states that one of every four private-sector workers do not receive any paid leave.
In addition to the unavailability of paid leave, the fear and pressure that workers face by taking time off work is also a cause for concern. A report published by National Opinion Research Center reveals that 23 percent of workers who took time off work due to sickness or to take care of a family member either lost or feared losing their jobs.
The BBC attributes this culture of fear to why even workers who receive paid leave do not utilize it. A study conducted by Glassdoor reveals that in the past one year, an average American worker took only half of the leave he or she was entitled to.
The Yes on 4 campaign, which supported the passage of this law in Massachusetts, has said in its research that paid leave will contribute toward enhancing workers productivity. A report by Institute for Women’s Policy research claims that the paid sick leave will generate a benefit of $224 million to employers annually. It also points out that allowing ailing workers to not show up at work prevents the spread of contagious diseases and ensures economic security and increased public health.
Those opposing the law are concerned that employers will no longer be interested in hiring single mothers, people with old parents and family members who need extra care. These apprehensions are, however, addressed by the flexibility of the ballot question that allows employees to contribute extra hours or an extra shift in lieu of time away from work. This will save the employee the sick leave time and save the employer the need to pay double.
Emily Spieler, a professor at Northwestern University and a specialist in employment and labor law, says that paid sick leave does not impact businesses negatively as seen in the two other states—Connecticut and California—that previously mandated the law.
A relevant study conducted in Connecticut, which enacted the law in 2007, shows that paid leaves did not prove detrimental to the state’s businesses. The increased cost of operations affected only a handful of employers who agreed to take up costly measures in order to cover for work that was stalled in the absence of a sick worker. Work in the majority of businesses ran smoothly without affecting revenues.