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Got swine flu? Get 5 paid days off
November 3rd, 2009, 2:29 pm · 41 Comments · posted by Mary Ann Milbourn
Sick workers would be guaranteed up to five paid days off if their boss tells them to stay home because they might be contagious, according to an emergency bill introduced today by two Bay Area Democratic House members.
The bill, by Reps. George Miller of Martinez, and Lynn Woolsey, who represents Marin County and part of Sonoma, is aimed at the estimated 50 million, often lower-paid workers who don't have paid sick leave who may get swine flu.
“Sick workers advised to stay home by their employers shouldn’t have to choose between their livelihood, and their coworkers’ or customer’s health,” said Miller, chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee. “This will not only protect employees, but it will save employers money by ensuring that sick employees don’t spread infection to co-workers and customers, and will relieve the financial burden on our health system swamped by those suffering from H1N1.”
Woolsey, chairmwoman of the Workforce Protections Subcommittee, said the bill would help control the spread of the H1N1 flu virus.
The legislators cited estimates by the Centers for Disease Control that says one sick worker can infect up to 10 colleagues.
Provisions of the so-called Emergency Influenza Containment Act:
- Guarantees a sick worker up to five paid sick leave days a year if an employer ‘directs’ or ‘advises’ a sick employee to stay home or go home.
- Covers both full-time and part-time workers (on a pro-rated basis) in businesses with 15 or more workers. Employers that already provide at least 5 days’ paid sick leave are exempt.
- An employer can end paid sick leave at any time by informing the employee that the employer believes they’re well enough to return to work. Employees may continue on unpaid leave under the Family Medical Leave Act or other existing sick leave policies.
- Employees who follow their employer’s direction to stay home because of contagious illness cannot be fired, disciplined or made subject to retaliation for following directions.
- Takes effect 15 days after being signed into law and sunsets after two years.
The bill will be heard by the House Education and Labor Committee Nov. 16.
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I hate it when coworkers come to work sick. Go home!
ditto. And especially with this virus. STAY HOME.
But what do you do when you are threatened with job loss if you are out sick - I hate being in work sick but it is not worth the wrath of my bosses (who by the way are currently hacking up a storm in front of me) so that's another question - what if it is the boss who is sick - who tells him to go home and stop infecting us plebs
And who's going to pay for this? Oh yeah, that's right - us again. Save up for your own sick days/clunkers/mortgages/rehab/childcare, etc. And especially your own cannibus. Please stop asking me to foot your bills.
exactly true, enough is enough!!
Uh, I think I'd rather cough up the extra $10 or so in taxes to keep the employees without sick time to stay at home where they belong. I'm fairly certain the extra tax cost to subsidize these sickies will be cheaper than the co-pays we'll have to pay if they get us sick.
Hey, you're taking in all the facts and forming a reasonable conclusion. This is the OC Register comment section, you're not supposed to do that.
Wards of the state....
I do NOT receive sick time from my employer at all and am against this, even though if I contract the flu I would stay home.
the cost is huge and it's overkill. don't want to get sick? get a flu shot. can't get a flu shot? use sick time. don't have sick time? use vacation days. don't have vacation days? too bad, that's one of the hazards of the job.
at some point, the state can't afford anymore pet programs without going bankrupt!! get it? we've already blown through whatever there was in the UI fund by about 400%. NO MORE SPENDING. PERIOD
Well Laura, check back in with us when you get the swine flu. Or when a co-worker comes to work coughing in your face. Or are you the head honcho? Since you mention cannibus, maybe you're just having a withdrawal day.
OOH ME, Me, Me!
I'm sick - PAY ME!!!!
Bay area Dem's - figures.
What? Gov't (me and you) paying for others' sick leave! It stinks to be sick and all of the issues surrounding being sick, but that is life sometimes. We can't afford this, California is broke and we already pay too much in taxes.
Why do politicians think they know how to run my business better than I do? Most people waste sick days it would serve them right to not get paid. A benefit package takes normal sick time into account.
For the guy that says he's afraid to get fired and your boss is hacking up a storm; consider this:
Maybe if you would do your job your boss would stay home when s/he is sick. Instead s/he is afraid to leave you alone because s/he knows your going to screw around all day and not get things done.
Common sense?
Could it be that your treated like a child because you act like one.
Yep, I worked at a place like this. I wasn't one of them who goofed off, though! I worked my hiney off for my boss.
"Covers both full-time and part-time workers (on a pro-rated basis) in businesses with 15 or more workers. Employers that already provide at least 5 days’ paid sick leave are exempt."
If you already offer sick days to your employees, then you are exempt from this.
If you aren't offering sick days to your employees, and this doesn't pass, you may find sympathy a scarce commodity when your whole workforce suddenly feels so crappy that they can't even do their job.
"Why do politicians think they know how to run my business better than I do? Most people waste sick days it would serve them right to not get paid. A benefit package takes normal sick time into account. "
exactly. "hey it's December and our state says I get 5 sick days and it's use-it-or-lose it. I'd better use it!!!"
even if the honest ones are the majority, that still leaves a whole lot of people ditching work for at least the last half of the year.
If you are the boss then YOU have to advise or suggest them to go home due to illness.
If you do not do so then this does not apply to your company. Problem solved, next time read the full article before you have a melt down.
Wow chupy, can we get the name of your business. I want to make sure I NEVER apply for a job there. With your attitude, you must be one hell of a sucky boss!
This would be abused more so that it would really help the people who need it. Did the boneheads up north forget that California is having a budget crisis?
My small business is suffering, why should I have to pay employees to stay home? This is absurd!
"Guarantees a sick worker up to five paid sick leave days a year if an employer ‘directs’ or ‘advises’ a sick employee to stay home or go home."
Then don't direct or advise your employee to stay home.
why even have the law then? let's see, employers who don't want to offer sick time won't tell employees to go home because then they'd be required to pay them for it. which means if they wanted them to have sick time, they would have given it to them already.
so in essence, this would be a law that accomplishes nothing but clearly costs us something?
Sacramento, stop wasting our time...
Another reason for lazy people to stay home and get paid.
Lazy people do not equal sick people. I guess you've never been sick and stayed home ever?
My boss is cheap and doesn't offer sick/personal time, so employees come to work sick and spread whatever they have to others. Whatever happened to that bill that was going to require that employers provide sick pay? Side note...my boss DID splurge on four small things of hand sanitizer last week....whatta guy.
Hand sanitizer is better than nothing!
When are the Democrats going to stop giving all of our money to the rich bankers and the dumb people that can't take care of themselves???
Are you saying that if you get swine flu, it's because you are stupid and can't take care of yourself?
Great!!!!
Another excuse for Employees to milk the employer out of money!
Don't you people know how the game is played in the private sector??
So they write a bill saying that employees are given 5 paid days off if they get swine flu.
Now, remember. These are low paid, low skilled workers who basically have no benefits or rights in the workplace to begin with.
So they take their 5 days, the employer wait a month or two and fires them for some unrelated reason that he digs up.
And they have no recourse, no union, no rights. And proving that the employer fired them for taking mandatory sick leave is nearly impossible. No attorney would touch it.
These are not gobblement workers or big corporate workers, folks. These are your basic ham 'n egger workers who are practically slaves!!!
Smarten up.
outstanding... will the politicians never learn?
you'd think we didn't have a constant budget crisis to solve or anything. egads
Well, most private sector employment in California is 'At Will', meaning either party can terminate the relationship for any reason that does not infringe upon protected class status. So if your boss decides he doesn't like you one day, he can fire you. Of course, he can't if he decided he doesn't like you because you're religious or a minority, but there are plenty of other reasons. An employer doesn't need to look for an excuse in California, he just has to be careful to not get close to anything protected. And being sick isn't protected (though being on disability is).
Too bad things are so rough that people don't have the option to leave bad bosses. Also too bad that most bad bosses know that's true...
Good for those Democraps! This will run some more of those nuisance businesses out of California! AND THEY CAN TAKE THEIR TAXES WITH THEM!!!! That'll show those job creators whose ruining our State. Uh, er, I mean running our state!
Won't someone think of the children!!!
Two years ago, an employee came into work sick with a respitory infection. A week later... 1/2 the office (40 employees) was out with the same thing for a week.
The following year, we implemented 3 paid sick days a year. Now, those that are sick stay home. Hardly anybody comes into work sick now.
Bu really, all the company had to do was allow those that are sick to use their vacation time to cover. The policy is that vacation time and be applied only to an excused absence, such as a vacation. I can not be used if you call in sick. Stupid policy.
Im sick with the swine right now my cousin gave it to me, she knew she had the swine flu, and she decided not to tell anyone in the family she took a drink out of my soda.After I got sick she told me she was sick with it the swine flu, she said its not a big deaI ya right anyways i got laid off and I had to miss the last day of work due to the swine I hate getting people sick !!!!!
Our Govt is out of control. Obama has no idea of what he is doing. We need jobs. Our economy is hurting and what the heck is going on with our boys in Afghanistan and Iraq. Now, these radical liberals want to spend 1.3 trillion on a 2,000 page health care bill. This is madness. I should have never believed the change idea as he never mentioned anything like this. I am embarassed to call these pundits our leaders. what about our kids for gods sake. Are they suposed to be for healthcare for all the poor people. This is madness. Social justice needs to be stopped in its tracks. Obama is trying but will be unsuccessful because people now see the real Obama. It is not good.
well I'd rather see 1.3 trillion go towards health care, than 5 billion a month on war, which obviously is not enough. Folks, this mess just didn't happen overnight. It's an accumulation of a series of events, that our past administration made. Agree, Obama needs to step on the gas petal, but expecting him to unravel 8 years in one is unreasonable. He's not a magician.
We know he's not a magician. We don't expect him to be. But we take it personally when he lies to us. Google '7 lies in under 2 minutes' and watch the youtube presentation. He also told us that he would give us the same health plan as congress and no one making under $250k would have to pay an extra dime to fund it. Another bald-faced lie. Now he wants to force a $2000 surtax on low-middle income folks who refuse to buy a policy from a private pigman insurance corporation. He's a liar. Maybe not a magician. But certainly a LIAR.
My heart may be bleeding, but man, after reading these comment sections it's clear that conservatives clearly don't have one.
Lisa: If you say conservatives don't have hearts, YOU don't have a brain. Conservatives figure out the problems of the dems when they get stuck and when a solution is provided, dems complain until everybody's ears fall off. Can't we stop pointing fingers at eachother and just get corruption out of washington, i mean...thats all ive ever wanted for christmas...corrupt behind bars and upstanding citizens in office. Can't we all agree on that?