Swine flu -- and no paid sick leave

Almost half of America's workers can't take paid sick leave. With swine flu cases on the rise, that problem could hasten the pandemic's spread.

Posted by: Jennifer Chang

By Neil deMause, CNNMoney.com contributing writer

September 28, 2009: 3:54 AM ET

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- As the H1N1 swine flu virus starts its second major sweep through the U.S., business owners are bracing for the impact of a worse-than-usual flu season on their workforces. That's reviving debate on a contentious issue: What kind of sick leave should companies offer employees -- and should it be mandated by law?

"On the one hand, you have all of our top officials saying, 'Do the responsible thing. If you're sick, stay home,'" says Debra Ness, president of the National Partnership for Women and Families, a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group that is pushing for paid sick leave laws. "You have advice from the Centers for Disease Control on exactly how many days you should stay home, and how many days we need to keep kids at home. And at the same time, we have a country where almost half the workforce doesn't have a single paid sick day."

Currently, 48% of the U.S. private-sector workforce can't take paid leave without advance notice, according to the National Partnership. In response, unions and worker advocates have intensified their campaign for local laws requiring businesses to offer paid sick leave. San Francisco voters passed a law requiring paid sick leave for all workers, full- or part-time, by referendum in 2006, and Washington, D.C., followed with its own law last year, though it exempted new hires and restaurant staff who earn part of their pay in tips.

Now 15 states and cities have paid sick leave bills in the works. Earlier this year, Connecticut narrowly missed becoming the first state to mandate paid sick time, when the state legislature fell one vote short of passing a bill that would have required businesses with 50 employees or more to provide up to six and a half paid sick days per year.

With swine flu panic beginning to build -- reports of flu-like illness are already up sharply three months before the traditional start of flu season -- some elected officials are taking the opportunity to press for new legislation.

"This is definitely pressing because of all the projections of how the swine flu and the regular flu season will be affecting people," says Shula Warren, chief of staff for New York City council member Gale Brewer. Click Here to Read More