On November 4, Milwaukee made its voice heard,
becoming the third US city to guarantee paid sick leave to workers. 69%
of city voters cast ballots in favor of the measure to give full-time
workers 9 paid sick days per year. While business leaders continued to
voice their opposition to the referendum, Milwaukee residents decided
that this is one work/life policy that everyone deserves.
In September, the Institute for Women’s Policy Research published the results of a cost/benefit analysis of the paid sick leave measure, which found
that “the new standard will directly benefit more than 75,000 Milwaukee
workers who currently lack paid sick days and provide net savings to
Milwaukee employers of $15 million per year, largely from reduced costs
of turnover.”
At
The Mobility Agenda, we have written about the importance of paid sick
leave and other crucial work life policies before (see our Work-Life page or read our recent report, Work-Life Policies for the Twenty-First Century Economy).
And while workers everywhere can applaud Milwaukee’s victory, it is
little comfort to the millions of workers and families around the
country whose work and survival remains vulnerable to an unanticipated
illness. Paid sick leave is crucial not only to individual workers, but
their families and larger communities as well – the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention has recognized a lack of paid sick days as a
public health concern. That is particularly true in the service
industry, whose workers come into close contact with the public on a
daily basis.
Paid
sick leave is important to healthy communities and a strong economy -
and not just in Milwaukee. It ensures that workers are able to meet
work, family, and social obligations that keep America running. Federal
and state policymakers and employers should build on Milwaukee’s
success by guaranteeing paid sick days for all workers.