Sick workers can bring infectious diseases into the workplace. The Center for Disease Control recommends that workers who are ill “stay home from work” to prevent the spread of disease in the workplace and community. A worker without paid sick days, choosing between going to work sick and staying home without pay, may have no rational choice but to ignore the CDC’s advice and take their germs to work.

There is no question as to the public’s interest in limiting the spread of common diseases such as the flu, which causes tens of thousands of deaths every year. This risk increases when ill workers have high levels of contact with the public, especially those employed in food service, nursing homes, child care centers, and the retail industry. Despite this risk, workers whose jobs necessitate exposure to the public disproportionately lack paid sick days.

We need your help. If you believe as we do, that paid sick days promote overall public health, please add your name to our supporters list, download materials to promote us in your workplace, and send your legislators a copy of our letter of support.

On March, 25, 2010, the New York City Council reintroduced legislationguaranteeing all workers a minimum number of paid sick days to care for themselves or an immediate family member – nine days for workers at large businesses and five days for workers at small businesses. The bill also has a provision for allowing workers to use their earned sick time to care for children whose schools have been closed for public health reasons, due in large part to the school closings parents faced last spring as result of the H1N1 influenza virus (swine flu) outbreak.