Support the Healthy Families Act: Write to your rep.

The Healthy Families Act (S. 910/HR. 1542) was introduced by Senator Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Representative DeLauro (D-Conn.) in March, and would grant workers paid sick leave in the event of their own personal medical emergency or an illness in the family.

Please ask your representative to co-sponsor this important legislation, which will help ensure that workers are not forced to choose between losing their jobs and caring for themselves or a sick loved one during a time of illness or injury. This is not only an important public health provision, but an important step forward for millions of hard working families who deserve job and wage stability.

Take Action NOW - Please urge your representative to co-sponsor the Healthy Families Act and support workers as they balance their responsibilities to their jobs, their health and their family. Write to your representative.

Background:

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Institute for Women's Policy Research, 66 million workers, over half of the total workforce, have no paid sick leave; and 89 million workers have fewer than 7 days per year of paid sick leave.

Furthermore, an astonishingly high percentage, 70% of the workforce, has no paid sick leave they can use to care for a sick child or other family member (anyone other than themselves). Providing paid sick days will increase productivity, reduce job turnover, and make for happier, healthier and more loyal employees. This bill is good for employers and for workers.

The Healthy Families Act will promote the job security and health of millions of workers in several ways:

• It would require employers with 15 or more employees to provide their full-time workers (at least 30 hours a week) with 7 paid sick days a year and to provide their part-time workers (at least 20 hours per week) with a prorated amount of paid sick days
• It would allow these workers to use their sick leave days to care for their own medical needs or to care for another family member.
• It would encourage employers to provide additional days of paid sick leave, but sets this 7-day amount as a minimum requirement.

Please urge your representative to support this important bill and to help working families who often have to make the difficult decision of choosing between their health, their families and their jobs.

Take Action NOW - Write to your representative by entering your zip code below.

For more information:

• Read about S. 910 and see the Senate co-sponsors
• Read about H.R. 1542 and see the House co-sponsors
• "Expanded Sick Leave Would Yield Substantial Benefits to Business, Employers, and Families", fact sheet from the Institute for Women's Policy Research (PDF)