Human Impact Partners - Paid Sick Days

Home	Who's HIP	Background	Projects	Tools & Resources	Contact HIP

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 national Healthy Families Act of 2009, the California Healthy Families, Healthy Workplaces Act of 2009 (AB 1000) 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. Since the spring of 2008, Human Impact Partners and researchers at the San Francisco Department of Public Health have been conducting Health Impact Assessments of paid sick days legislation, evaluating how it could protect and improve public health. In this work, we synthesize existing public health research on the impacts of paid sick days and conduct original research.

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

To date, we have worked on:

National

Summary of Findings -
The Health Impact Assessment of Healthy Families Act of 2009

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

Full Report - The Health Impact Assessment of Healthy Families Act of 2009

A copy of the full report (2 MB) for the national report is available here (updated Sept 3, 2009):
NationalPaidSickDaysHIA_report.pdf

Maine

Summary of Findings for Maine

A copy of the Maine Summary of Findings is available here.

Maine
Addendum to the
National HIA

A copy of the Maine specific addendum to the National HIA (above) is available here.

In the News -

Maine

The Times Record: "The business case for paid sick time"
Portland Press Herald: "We need paid sick time for all"
Maine News Update: "Group rallies for paid sick time in Maine"
WMTM: "Group rallies for paid sick leave bill"
Associated Press: "Group rallies for paid sick leave bill"

Massachusetts

Summary of Findings for Massachusetts -
The Health Impacts of
An Act Establishing Paid Sick Days
(SB 688 & HB 1815)

A copy of the Massachusetts Summary of Findings is available here.

Massachusetts
Addendum to the
National HIA

A copy of the Massachusetts specific addendum to the National HIA (above) is available here.

In the News -

Massachusetts

TV:
WGBH's Greater Boston: "Oct. 7, 2009 - A bill to make paid sick time mandatory"
NECN: "Push to make sure all workers get paid sick days"

On-line and Newspapers:
Lowell Sun: "Bill would guarantee paid sick days for Mass. workers"
Arlington Advocate, Dover-Sherborn Press and Belmont Citizen Herald: "With Flu worries, paid sick days act pitched as public health measure"
Sentinal and Enterprise: "Mass. sick leave bill gains momentum"

California

New Findings for the California Paid Sick Days HIA (April, 2009)

Click here for the report on the new research findings for the California HIA.

Summary of Findings -
California
(2008)

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

Full Report -
California
(2008)

A copy of the Full Report (2 MB) for California is available here:
PaidSickDaysHIA_report.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:
San Diego News Network: "Sick employees still coming to work; fear jeopardizing jobs"
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

Milwaukee

Fact Sheet -
Milwaukee
(2008)

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

New Hampshire

Fact Sheets -
New Hampshire
(2009)

Copies of the fact sheets prepared for the New Hampshire paid sick days legislation are available here and here.

The fact sheets with references included are available here and here.

New Hampshire
Addendum to the
National HIA

A copy of the New Hampshire specific addendum to the National HIA (above) is available here.

In the News -

New Hampshire

Radio:
New Hampshire Public Radio: Businesses Balk at Paid Sick Leave Proposal

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 national paid sick days bill, see: .
http://paidsickdays.nationalpartnership.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/.