It seems only logical that if we as a nation value public health that restaurant and hospitality industry workers should not come to work sick. Yet, 85 percent of food-service workers do not get paid time off when they are ill. To make matters worse, those workers, who usually get hourly pay that is lower than the minimum wage, cannot afford to take time off for illness. So, they come to work sick.
It does not take a policy expert to figure out this poses not only a public health concern, but concern for the children of workers’ without paid sick pay.
Connecticut took a step forward this past Friday when paid sick days legislation (SB 601) cleared the judiciary committee with a vote of 19-13. Forty percent of Connecticut workers are currently without paid sick days. The bill still needs to pass the Senate.
Restaurant chains that do not provide their employees with paid time off – for occasions when they are sick, their children are sick or to visit a doctor for routine exams – include Cracker Barrel, Jack in the Box, Inc., Darden Restaurants (Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Bahama Breeze, Smokey Bones and Seasons), Brinker International Inc. (Chili’s Grill & Bar, Romano’s Macaroni Grill, On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina and Maggiano’s Little Italy) OSI (Carrabba’s Italian Grill, Bonefish Grill, Cheeseburger in Paradise and Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse), McDonald’s Corp.(Boston Market and Chipotle), Wendy’s International Inc., Ruby Tuesday, Inc., Burger King Holdings, Inc. and Applebee’s International, Inc. How do you feel knowing your burger might be prepared by a chef with the flu?
Those big chains are the ones complaining about paying employees higher minimum wages at the same time they deny them time off. Workers usually cannot afford child care and often take their sick kids to school because they can’t take time off.
This is just another issue that corporate employees – those with health insurance plans, family leave, sick days, personal days, retirement plans and bonuses - don’t know anything about. The assumption is all workers have these benefits.
In fact, I’m pretty sure most readers of this blog would be surprised to learn almost half of all U.S. workers do not get paid time off when they are sick. Many are fired for taking time off to take care of their own health needs or their children’s. ACORN has launched a national campaign to address this problem – another one most European nations don’t have – in addition to national health insurance and child care.
Sen. Ted Kenney and U.S. Rep Rosa DeLauro have introduced federal legislation to provide a minimum number of mandatory sick days. It is called the Healthy Workers, Healthy Families Act.