LETTER to the EDITOR on Paid Sick Leave in PA
As we know well in the LGBT community, our state legislature doesn't do anything quickly. We've been fighting for years to pass state wide non-discrimination protection for LGBT workers. Now instead of rushing to protect workers, legislators are in a race to take rights away. Right now some are trying to fast track a law that would take away sick days from 200,000 workers and strip the rights of local communities to create their own ordinances.
Lawmakers from communities throughout Pa. want to stop workers in Philadelphia from finally earning paid sick days. At the same time, those same lawmakers want to make sure their own local governments are blocked from passing ordinances that provide sick days in their communities.
Following years of debate, Philadelphia's city council passed a sick leave law in February that was slated to take effect May 13 of this year. It happened only after a task force report found paid sick days would help more than 200,000 workers – about 40% of the city's workforce – without harming businesses. (i) It was a glimmer of hope to many struggling to get by without good health insurance and retirement benefits.
Under the Philadelphia law, workers at businesses with 10 or more employees could earn at least an hour of paid sick time for every 40 hours worked. Workers at smaller businesses could earn unpaid sick days. It's commonsense that people who work hard and are devoted to their jobs should be able to earn paid sick time.
Many of these workers are members of the LGBT community, given that Philadelphia is home to one of largest LGBT populations in the U.S. (ii) A large number of LGBT workers in Philadelphia are forced to go to work ill because they cannot afford to lose pay or risk losing their jobs. Many studies demonstrate that paid sick days help employers by promoting productivity and reducing turnover. San Francisco passed a law similar to Philadelphia's in 2007, and has had overwhelming success. In recognition of the policy's obvious public health benefits, two-thirds of San Francisco employers support the law.(iii)
Philadelphia's paid sick days law strengthens LGBT families by allowing workers to take leave to care for their partners and children. It is estimated that 30% of LGBT adults in Philadelphia have at least one child in the household.(iv) On average, the household income of LGBT couples raising children in Pennsylvania is 33% lower than the household income of heterosexual, married parents.(vii) As a result, LGBT parents in Pennsylvania are less likely to be able to afford to take unpaid time off from work. Providing paid sick days would allow LGBT workers in Philadelphia to better care for their own health needs and those of their family members.
For Philadelphians living with HIV/AIDS, paid sick days are not only a key economic protection, it can be a life or death issue – especially those individuals who work in lower-wage and service sector jobs. Not being able to take time off to attend medical appointments and recover from illness jeopardizes their wellbeing. Moreover, access to paid sick time influences the ability of Philadelphia workers to provide care for aging family members with HIV/AIDS.
Among Philadelphia residents living with HIV/AIDS, more than 70% are 40 years of age or older and more than 36% are 50 years of age or older. (v) As the population ages, their working family members will face increasing eldercare demands.
In addition, paid sick leave is important for transgender workers in Philadelphia. With a modest floor of paid sick leave, transgender workers are able to take care of their health needs without fear of lost pay or job retaliation
Pennsylvania Pride at Work, the AFLCIO LGBT constituency group, calls on our state lawmakers to listen to the diverse voices in Pennsylvania fighting to stop this attack on paid sick leave. Workers, parents, domestic violence survivors, good government groups, churches and many other organizations have fought for years to help workers earn paid sick days.
Legislators in Harrisburg from every community should stand with workers who are trying to be the best caregivers and providers possible – not trying to make our lives harder.
Pride @ Work – Pennsylvania
Pride @ Work is the officially recognized LGBT constituency group of the AFL-CIO.
i Amy Traub, Paid Sick Time: Healthy for Philadelphia Workers and Businesses, Drum Major Institute for Public Policy (Oct. 2010), p. 2.
ii Gary J. Gates, Same-sex Couples and the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Population: New Estimates from the American Community Survey, The Williams Institute (Oct. 2006), p. 7.
iii Robert Drago and Vicky Lovell, San Francisco's Paid Sick Leave Ordinance: Outcomes for Employers and Employees, Institute for Women's Policy Research (Feb. 2011).
iv PHMC, The Philadelphia LGBT Community Assessment, p. 37. Although the relationship to the child could not be determined in this Philadelphia study, census data shows that 20% of same sex couples in Pennsylvania are raising children. See Romero, et. al., Census Snapshot: Pennsylvania, p. 1. Despite the lack of adequate data on LGBT parents in Philadelphia, these statistics indicate that a significant minority of LGBT adults in the city are raising children.
vii Romero, et. al., Census Snapshot: Pennsylvania, p. 3.
v Shpaner, M., Brady, K. & Eberhart, M., AIDS Activities Coordinating Office (AACO) Annual Surveillance Report: 2009, Philadelphia Department of Public Health, AACO (2010), p. 11.
