The boldest attack on the Denver Paid Sick Leave Voter Initiative isn’t from the Chamber of Commerce. With large majorities supporting the November 2011 ballot measure, opponents know they have to do more than simply argue against the common sense notion that people shouldn’t go to work sick. They need to find other ways to attack the measure which would require employers to provide nine days of paid sick leave per year for full time workers. Part time workers and employees of small businesses would have fewer days.
By Donald Cohen. Published in the Los Angeles Times. May 19, 2011.
Every year since 2003, the California Chamber of Commerce publishes its hit list of proposed legislation it labels “job killers.” The list includes legislation to protect consumers, workers and the environment from irresponsible business practices, or raise revenues to fund public services, or support middle and working class families.
By Donald Cohen and Jake Blumgart. Originally published in the New York Daily News. October 8, 2010.
Your second-grader has been up half the night with a hacking cough. Do you call in to say you can't go to work - and risk losing a whole day's paycheck? Or do you pack some tissues in his lunch box and hope that he makes it through the school day without getting worse or infecting half the class?
No working parent should face such a choice. But for thousands of New York City's public school parents, this is a very real dilemma. It doesn't need to be.
By Jake Blumgart. Orginally published in the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Huffington Post.September 3, 2010.
You wake up Monday morning with a throbbing headache, achy muscles and a hacking cough. Do you miserably trudge into work, likely prolonging your recovery time and exposing your co-workers to infection? Or do you give your body the time it needs to heal, and call in sick? Can you afford to?
For almost 40 percent of the nation's private workforce, the answer to that last question is no. A recent Bureau of Labor Statistics report shows only 33 percent of workers earning $10.50 an hour or less have access to paid sick leave, compared with 81 percent of those earning $24.22 an hour or more. This means, perversely, that if you can afford to take an unpaid sick day, you generally don't have to.
The Real Agenda Behind Voter Suppression
By Donald Cohen
The boldest attack on the Denver Paid Sick Leave Voter Initiative isn’t from the Chamber of Commerce. With large majorities supporting the November 2011 ballot measure, opponents know they have to do more than simply argue against the common sense notion that people shouldn’t go to work sick. They need to find other ways to attack the measure which would require employers to provide nine days of paid sick leave per year for full time workers. Part time workers and employees of small businesses would have fewer days.
Read MoreChamber of Commerce, Wrong Again
By Donald Cohen. Published in the Los Angeles Times. May 19, 2011.
Every year since 2003, the California Chamber of Commerce publishes its hit list of proposed legislation it labels “job killers.” The list includes legislation to protect consumers, workers and the environment from irresponsible business practices, or raise revenues to fund public services, or support middle and working class families.
Read MoreLet sick workers get well, with pay
By Donald Cohen and Jake Blumgart. Originally published in the New York Daily News. October 8, 2010.
Your second-grader has been up half the night with a hacking cough. Do you call in to say you can't go to work - and risk losing a whole day's paycheck? Or do you pack some tissues in his lunch box and hope that he makes it through the school day without getting worse or infecting half the class?
No working parent should face such a choice. But for thousands of New York City's public school parents, this is a very real dilemma. It doesn't need to be.
Read MoreA New Labor Standard: Paid Sick Leave
By Jake Blumgart. Orginally published in the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Huffington Post. September 3, 2010.
You wake up Monday morning with a throbbing headache, achy muscles and a hacking cough. Do you miserably trudge into work, likely prolonging your recovery time and exposing your co-workers to infection? Or do you give your body the time it needs to heal, and call in sick? Can you afford to?
For almost 40 percent of the nation's private workforce, the answer to that last question is no. A recent Bureau of Labor Statistics report shows only 33 percent of workers earning $10.50 an hour or less have access to paid sick leave, compared with 81 percent of those earning $24.22 an hour or more. This means, perversely, that if you can afford to take an unpaid sick day, you generally don't have to.
Read More