Human Impact Partners - Paid Sick Days

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Paid Sick Days Health Impact Assessment

The health of all Americans would significantly benefit if workers earned paid sick days and used them when ill or when a family member needs care. However, about 50% of the U.S. workforce do not have the right to take paid time off from work when they are sick.

The California Healthy Families, Healthy Workplaces Act of 2008 (AB 2716) and other similar bills being considered around the country would guarantee that all workers in the state accrue at least one hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours worked. In the spring of 2008, Human Impact Partners and researchers at the San Francisco Department of Public Health conducted a Health Impact Assessment of the California bill, evaluating how it could protect and improve public health. This report provides a summary of the findings of that assessment.

In the fall of 2008, HIP conducted a briefer analysis of a ballot referendum being considered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin that would give workers in the city similar benefits to those proposed in the California bill.

The best available public health evidence demonstrates that Paid Sick Day legislation would have significant positive public health impacts.

Summary of Findings -
California

A copy of the California Summary of Findings is available here:

Full Report -
California

A copy of the Full Report (2 MB) for California is available here:
PaidSickDaysHIA_report.pdf.

Fact Sheet -
Milwaukee

A copy of the 2 page fact sheet prepared for the Milwaukee referendum is available here:
MilwaukeePaidSickDaysHIA_FactSheet.pdf.

The HIA Team

Human Impact Partners conducted the California HIA with researchers from the San Francisco Department of Public Health and from UC Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Educatio.

Description of the California Healthy Families, Healthy Workplaces Act of 2008 (AB 2716)

AB2716_Summary.pdf

In the News -
Calfornia

Radio:
NPR's Marketplace: “Health bill covers California sick leave”
In addition, KQED's California Report covered the story, as did about 300 other radio stations.

Newspapers:
San Francisco Chronicle: "Bill Would Require Paid Sick Days for Most"
Orange County Register: "Paid Sick Days Would Boost Public Health, Supporters Say"
Contra Costa Times: "Report: Paid Sick Days a Public-Health Bonanza"
Ventura County Star: "Ray of Hope for Workers"
Oakland Tribune: "Paid Sick Days Would Be Good Policy, Report Says"
San Diego Chronicle: "Poll Shows California Voters Overwhelmingly Support Paid Sick Days Law"
San Diego Union-Tribune: "With No Paid Sick Leave, Workers Face Grim Choices"
News & Observer (North Carolina): "Too Many Workers Can't Afford To Be Sick"

On-line:
California Progress Report: "New Study on Public Health Benefits of Paid Sick Leave Just In Time for California Legislation" and "A Health Impact Assessment of the California Healthy Families, Healthy Workplaces Act of 2008 is Our Site of the Day" and "California Paid Sick Days Bill Killed This Year, But Will Be Back Again Next Year"
CBS5: "Report Released on Benefits of Paid Sick Leave Bill"
Indy Bay Media: “Healthy Families, Healthy Workplaces Act Press Conference”
Workers Independent News: "California Study Shows Mandatory Paid Sick Days Would Improve Public Health"
California Chronicle: "Poll Shows California Voters Overwhelmingly Support Paid Sick Days Law"
DMI Blog: "Are Our (Lack of) Labor Laws Making You Sick? Paid Sick Days & Public Health"
Chain Leader: “Ray of hope for workers? Voters believe that paid sick time is 'a basic right'”
International HIA Blog: "Healthy Families, Healthy Workplaces Act of 2008 HIA"
Monterey County Democrats: "California Paid Sick Days Bill Killed This Year, But Will Be Back Again Next Year"
Scripps Howard News Service: "California Might Mandate Paid Sick Days"

Television:
Univision had a segment on our report on the 11 o'clock news on July 30, 2008

Contacts

For more information about this Health Impact Assessment contact:

Rajiv Bhatia		Jonathan Heller
(415) 252-3982		(510) 740-0143
rajiv.bhatia{AT}sfdph.org		jch{AT}humanimpact.org

For more information about the California Paid Sick Days bill, see: http://www.paidsickdaysca.org/.

For more information about the Milwaukee Paid Sick Days referendum, see:
http://www.9to5.org/sickdays/.