"Congress should waste no time in passing paid sick days legislation so that working people can earn paid time off and help prevent the spread of illness without jeopardizing their economic security," Debra Ness, president of the National Partnership for Women and Families, told lawmakers yesterday.

"Sick workers are not productive ones and by spreading disease in the workplace risk the overall productivity of the business," said Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association. "By providing paid sick leave for sick workers, worker safety and business productivity can both be enhanced - a win-win for employers."

They and others told the House Education, Labor and Pensions Committee that, along with vaccinations and good hygiene practices like hand-washing, the best way to protect workers and slow the spread of the H1N1 swine flu virus is through guaranteed paid sick leave.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that one worker sick with the H1N1 virus will infect one in 10 co-workers if he or she goes to work while infected with the virus.

The CDC's guidelines to employers and workers say individuals who suspect they have the swine flu or another influenza-like illness should stay home. A CDC advisory says "employers should allow workers to stay home without fear of reprisals or losing their jobs."

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