Floridians Battle for National Paid Sick Leave Law
Posted February 23, 2015 08:50 am
ORLANDO,
FL – President Obama called for it in his State of the
Union address last month, and now there's legislation in
Congress to help the 43 million American workers who
can't earn time off for sick days.
The Healthy Families Act would establish a national standard for paid sick leave. Proponents of the law in Florida say the state's tourism-based economy could especially benefit.
Judy Neufeld, women's program director for the Orlando-based Florida Institute of Reform and Empowerment, said thousands of workers - and millions of tourists - could be affected.
"We have people coming to Orlando and Orange County from
all over the world, every single day," she said.
"Whether they are visiting the theme parks or coming for
conventions or conferences, they're being exposed to all
kinds of illnesses if our workers are going to work sick
because they don't have access to earned sick time."
Florida, however, is one of 11 states that have taken
action to prevent local governments from enacting their
own laws regarding earned sick time.
Neufeld said Florida leaders took the pre-emptive action
a year before voters in the Orlando area went to the
polls in what turned out to a nonbinding - but telling -
local referendum.
"It was actually on the ballot in Orange County last
year, and voters overwhelmingly passed earned sick time
- over 63 percent of the vote - in August of 2014," she
said. "So, we know there's demand and interest and need
across the state."
Recent polls indicate that the idea is gaining
popularity nationally. According to a survey by the
Public Religion Research Institute, 81 percent of
respondents favor sick-leave legislation called for by
President Obama and now being debated in Congress.
Photos/graphics; links; added and updated by the Observer
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