Female legislators lobby in Hartford for paid sick leave

March 30th, 2010

Scott Whipple (New Britain Herald)

State Sen. Mary Ann Handley, D-Manchester, and state Rep. Kim Fawcett, D-Fairfield, kick off a day of lobbying today for paid sick days for working women and for women’s health.

Handley and Fawcett will join women’s advocates for a press conference this morning in the Legislative Office Building. Advocates include representatives from the Permanent Commission on the Status of Women, Connecticut Sexual Assault Crisis Services, the Connecticut Chapter of the National Organization for Women, and Connecticut Working Families.

“As a mother of two and a grandmother of six, I can’t tell you how many hours I’ve spent taking care of sick children,” Handley said. “But, for far too many working moms, any day a child wakes up sick means choosing between your family’s health and your family’s income.”

Handley said she didn’t know “how any large business can force parents and children into this impossible situation by not providing paid sick days.” She added that half of all working women miss work when a child is sick, and half of these women miss pay.

According to Elizabeth Cafarella, vice president for public policy for the Connecticut chapter of the National Organization for Women, prenatal care is vital to ensure a healthy pregnancy for both a mother and her developing child. Even a low-risk pregnancy can require several doctor visits. But, for too many working women, the lack of paid sick days becomes a serious barrier to receiving appropriate and regular care.

“As a new mother to be, I know how critical it is to be able to get regular prenatal care,” said Cafarella. “Without paid sick days, it would be nearly impossible to get care essential during pregnancy, both for the health of the mother and the development of the unborn baby.”

The majority of victims of sexual assault and domestic violence are women, who often need time to seek medical treatment or other services as a result.

“When I fled my abuser, who raped me and kept me captive for three days, I had to miss a few days of work to recover safely,” said Paula Broderick. “Because I didn’t have paid sick days, I lost pay just when I most desperately needed it.”

Connecticut Working Families, an activist coalition of community organizations and labor unions, estimates that 600,000 workers in Connecticut lack paid sick days.

The labor committee of the Connecticut General Assembly has approved a measure to create a basic workplace standard for paid sick days. The bill (SB 63) would allow workers at businesses with more than 50 employees to earn paid sick time — up to five days a year. Workers could use paid sick days to recover from illness, visit a doctor, care for an ill child, or use services related to sexual assault or domestic violence. A similar bill passed in the state House of Representatives last year, but wasn’t called for a vote in the state Senate.

Connecticut Business & Industry Association, however, argues that the bill’s reappearance will hurt prospects for job growth in the state.

“The main problem with the bill,” says Kia Murrell, CBIA assistant counsel and labor law expert, “is that it calls for a one-size-fits-all policy that ignores the many different types of workplaces and industries in Connecticut, the financial health of those companies, and the demands of operating their businesses.”

Murrell, a woman, says many employers would be able to accommodate this additional unbudgeted mandate “only by cutting back on other employee benefit wages and, in some cases, jobs themselves.”

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