As one of the only wealthy countries that doesn't mandate paid time off for sick workers, the U.S. is getting a wakeup call about that failure in the form of the coronavirus. Simply put, in the midst of a highly contagious pandemic, having an entire sector of workers who simply can't afford to call in sick is a glaring vulnerability.
Congressional Democrats are trying to address that vulnerability stat with a new paid sick leave bill that includes "14 days of immediately accessible paid sick leave in the case of a public health emergency," according to The New York Times.
“Right now, the experts are telling people: Stay home if you’re sick,” said Democratic Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, co-sponsor of the new bill along with Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut. Murray called the bill "a critical part of this response,” since many workers show up to work sick so they won't miss a paycheck.
An economics study released this week by the National Bureau of Economic Research outlined the potential benefits of mandating paid sick leave, with relatively little cost to employers. It found that in states that had enacted paid sick leave, workers were less likely to show up to work sick; yet, on average, newly covered workers only took two extra sick days a year.
Murray and DeLauro had already introduced a bill that gave workers an opportunity to bank seven days of sick leave over time, but their new bill requires all employers (not just those with 15 or more employees) to provide paid sick leave.
Few Republicans have shown interest in the bill. The coronavirus may, however, offer an avenue for addressing paid sick leave. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer have both mentioned paid sick leave among their list of priorities for legislation to address both the public health and the economic emergency resulting from the virus outbreak. In the meantime, Senate Republicans have said they would step aside and let Pelosi negotiate an emergency bill directly with the White House.
Donald Trump's desperation to keep the economy from tanking will likely give Democrats an opportunity to include some Democratic priorities in that bill, and paid sick leave appears to be on that list.
