Press Releases

Advance Media contact: Jennifer England 412-513-9091

(onsite media contact:  Jasmine Rivera 480-628-4032)

Group delivers Giant Tissue Box and Thousand+ postcards to Mayor Nutter

Coalition highlighting public health risk from employees who work sick

When: Monday June 13, 10 am

Where: Outside Mayor Nutter’s office

Monday morning at 10 am, the Coalition for Health Families and Workplaces delivered a giant tissue box and over 1000 postcards and letters to Mayor Nutter  asking him to support earned sick days.  The postcards and letters had messages from Philadelphia residents urging passage of the Paid Sick Days Bill introduced by Councilmen Clarke and Greenlee and the tissue box symbolizes the real threat to public health posed by workers who go to their job sick. 

The Promoting Healthy Families and Workplaces Act (Bill 080474) would allow Philadelphia workers the opportunity to earn up to 7 days of sick time per year. Voted out of the Public Health and Human Services Committee on March 1, 2011, the bill could affect up to 200,000 workers in Philadelphia who do not have access to paid sick days.

With over 40 percent of Philadelphians lacking earned sick days, a large portion of the population cannot take the time off work to go see a doctor or to take care of a sick child or family member.

Employees with earned sick days are more likely to stay home when they are sick, limiting the spread of the illness and protecting co-workers, customers, or anyone else they meet during the work day. During the height of the H1N1 pandemic, people were urged to stay home if they had any signs of the flu, however, those without earned sick days were less likely to stay home because they could not afford to. As a result, nearly 8 million H1N1 cases were traced back to employees going to work while sick.

Council faces pressure to vote on Earned Sick Days Bill

When:  Thursday June 16, 10 a.m.

Where: Philadelphia City Hall, room 401

Thursday, as the Committee for Health and Human Services decides whether the Earned Sick Days bill will get a vote, supporters will pack the chamber to push for action.  ACTION United has been canvasing city neighborhoods to rally supporters and generate phone calls, letters and postcards for City Council members.

Last month ACTION United members and allies wrapped City Hall with more than 17,000 postcards from Philadelphia residents supporting the measure and earlier this week delivered a giant tissue box and another thousand plus letters of support to Mayor Nutter.  Along with thousands of citizens, ACTION United has garnered support of Clergy and small business owners for this measure which would be good for both public health and individual families.  Many of these supporters will jam City Hall tomorrow to urge passage of this bill.

The Promoting Healthy Families and Workplaces Act (Bill 080474) would allow Philadelphia workers the opportunity to earn up to 7 days of sick time per year. Voted out of the Public Health and Human Services Committee on March 1, 2011, the bill could affect up to 200,000 workers in Philadelphia who do not have access to paid sick days.

With over 40 percent of Philadelphians lacking earned sick days, a large portion of the population cannot take the time off work to go see a doctor or to take care of a sick child or family member. 
Employees with earned sick days are more likely to stay home when they are sick, limiting the spread of the illness and protecting co-workers, customers, or anyone else they meet during the work day. During the height of the H1N1 pandemic, people were urged to stay home if they had any signs of the flu, however, those without earned sick days were less likely to stay home because they could not afford to. As a result, nearly 8 million H1N1 cases were traced back to employees going to work while sick.