WASHINGTON – Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) joined Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Representative Rosa DeLauro (CT-03), and 167 of their colleagues in introducing the Healthy Families Act to guarantee paid sick leave for workers.  

“For many Americans living paycheck to paycheck, getting sick doesn’t just mean not feeling well, it means worrying about whether they’ll be able to pay that month’s bills or buy groceries for their family. And all too often, we see people showing up to work sick because they simply can’t afford to stay home,” said Senator Gallego. “I’m proud to help introduce this commonsense legislation to ensure hardworking Americans don’t have their paychecks put at risk just because they get sick.”

The U.S. today remains the only major country in the world that does not provide paid time off for short-term illnesses. Currently, nearly 27 million workers lack any paid sick time entirely, including 20% of the private sector workforce and 7% of the public sector workforce. Things are worse for low-income workers and households, with just 58% of low-income, private-sector workers able to access paid sick days. Without guaranteed paid sick leave, workers are forced to make untenable choices between getting a paycheck and keeping their jobs on the one hand and caring for their own and their family’s health on the other.

Workers without paid sick leave are three times more likely to delay or forgo necessary health care for themselves and nearly twice as likely to forgo medical care for their families compared to working adults with paid sick days. However, workers with access to paid sick leave are  28% less likely to suffer nonfatal occupational injuries, and employers who provide paid sick leave see 25% less turnover in their workforce. According to a study by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, a universal paid sick days policy would reduce preventable visits to the emergency room and result in cost savings of $1.1 billion per year, including $500 million in savings for public health insurance programs like Medicare and Medicaid.

The Healthy Families Act would:

  • Guarantee every worker in America up to seven paid sick days each year, to be used to recover from their own illnesses, access preventive care, provide care to a sick family member or attend school meetings related to a child’s health condition or disability.
  • Simplify how employers calculate paid sick leave. Workers would earn a minimum of one hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours worked, up to a minimum of 56 hours per year.
  • Allow employers to use their existing policies if they exceed minimum standards.
  • Allow victims of domestic violence, stalking or sexual assault to use their paid sick days to recover or seek assistance.

Read the bill text HERE.

The Healthy Families Act is endorsed by 88 organizations, including AFL-CIO, Service Employees International Union (SEIU), United Auto Workers (UAW), Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA), National Nurses United (NNU), International Association of Machinists (IAM), Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division-International Brotherhood of Teamsters (BMWED-IBT), Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen-International Brotherhood of Teamsters (BLET-IBT), the Teamsters Rail Conference, Transport Workers Union (TWU), Communications Workers of America (CWA), United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), National Education Association (NEA), American Federation of Teachers (AFT), Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), National Partnership for Women & Families, and A Better Balance.

Senator Gallego has consistently fought for working-class Americans, recently introducing the Give America a Raise Act to raise the federal minimum wage to $20 an hour and the Holiday Pay Act to require employers pay time and a half for working federal holidays. He also backs the Family and Medical Insurance Leave (FAMILY) Act to guarantee up to 12 weeks of partial income for workers who have to take leave for serious medical and family events, such as the birth of a child.