Maine Legislature to Women Workers: Don't Get Sick!

Sigh. As you may have heard, earlier this week, the Maine Legislature failed to take a stand for the health of Maine families. Both the House and Senate refused to adopt the Labor Committee’s recommendation to enact the paid sick days bill, L.D. 1454, ‘An Act to Care for Working Families.’

I'm appalled.

People’s health is put in jeopardy when they can’t take time off from work to recover from illness. Right now, nearly half of all full-time, private sector workers lack paid sick days. Three out of four low-wage workers are denied a single paid sick day, as are 86% of employees in some of Maine’s most important industries – food and public accommodation. And of course women suffer most - first because we're more likely to be working in a low-wage job, and second because we're more likely to need to take time to care for a sick child.

The debate on the floor of the House can be summarized this way "You're on your own." While many proponents stood up to demand this basic protection, others said the legislature should not intervene just people's jobs and health are at risk. And then there were the wild accusations that workers would 'abuse' this protection by going to Bermuda (that's a quote) or taking off five days for a hangover. For snapshots of the priceless floor debate, check out the MPBN story here: http://www.mpbn.net/radio/mainenews/080408leave.htm

In fact, there IS abuse happening right now. That abuse is when someone is fired for getting the flu.

Fortunately, Maine people have traditionally taken a very different perspective than the one the Legislature expressed on Monday. We know that we’re all in it together and that the state economy works best when everyone has a fair shot. New workplace standards become necessary when the public’s values are out of step with how workplaces operate. That's why we have family medical leave, employment leave for victims of violence, minimum wage standards, and many many more protections that most people take for granted - that is, until they are in crisis or are struggling to get by.

Now, it's time for paid sick days.

At the Maine Women's Lobby, we believe that Maine and the United States will ultimately be on the right side of history, joining the 153 nations around the world that provide paid sick leave, including every one of the top ten most economically competitive nations in the world.

But not this year.