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Mandatory paid sick leave a possibility on the ballot
Non-profit 9-5 working to make it happen
By Carlo Albano
“In more cases than one, discipline and termination are the result and the option when one must choose to care for their family over working their job.”
Have you ever been so sick that you shouldn’t have gone to work but had to go just to make ends meet? This is a problem that all of us have to deal with.
However, those who must provide for children and a family realize the severity of the situation fully. The non-profit organization, 9-5, has come to exercise a grassroots approach to getting the paid sick days legislation on the ballot in Milwaukee.
The cornerstone of 9-5 and their paid sick days legislation is balance. People should not have to balance vital income and jobs on the one hand, while caring for family health and personal health on the other.
The U.S. is internationally known for its population of type-A personalities that thrive in the climate of opportunity and competition. Yet there is also a host of sicknesses, both mental and physical, that Americans have acquired during their sleep-deprived days. The body checks out when it must, and the ability to rest is an opportunity that may not always be affordable.
Under this Milwaukee ballot initiative, all employees who work in the City of Milwaukee, including those that work both full time and part time, would be covered. Not only are paid sick days provided, but also the necessary health coverage for needs ranging in medical treatment from preventative care to care giving of a family member with short and long-term illnesses.
The paid sick time would be a minimum of one hour for every 30 hours worked. This equals out to about nine days a year for a full-time employee.
Paid sick days legislation originated as a part of the Healthy Family Act. Though the latter is still in a stage of debate at the federal level, initiatives to take paid sick days into the community’s hands have been enacted in several areas of the United States.
San Francisco passed the legislation one year ago and Washington DC passed it one month ago. While Ohio is working to enact the legislation in the entire state, Milwaukee is in what many feel to be a “time for common sense change.”
“Milwaukee is in a situation where a lot of people try to make an honest living and provide for their family.” says student representative, Dana Schultz. “This (paid sick days) is one way that the workplace can be more helpful in assisting those with families. This is the next minimum wage type of action and this will be something that people can come out to vote for no matter their opinion of electoral politics.”
The initiative’s place on the ballot this fall has a few obstacles to climb at its grassroots level. In order for paid sick days to have a slot, a total of 15 percent of the last population of voters in the gubernatorial election must sign their signature in favor of the initiative. For Milwaukee, that is approximately 26,000 to 30,000 people.
The 9-5 organization and all of its volunteers are hoping to gather 50,000 signatures within a one month time frame. They rely on their ability to promote the legislation and bring about a resonance of positive common sense in their message.
Almost half of full-time workers in the private sector have no paid sick days. Lower wage workers are particularly vulnerable in this situation. More than three in four workers in the bottom quarter of earnings have no paid sick days.
“It is an unfortunate but recurrent happening that people who must work two jobs to put food on the table usually work a low-paying job that does not offer any leeway in what providing and caring for your family,” says Steven Kablusky, a worker working for paid sick days in Milwaukee. “In more cases than one, discipline and termination are the result and the option when one must choose to care for their family over working their job.”
Several individuals have come forth from the Milwaukee area to share their stories in the aspiration that they will have the chance to vote on this legislation.
“I have a child with Down syndrome and have regular medical appointments for my child,” Says Ann Fried, another resident of Milwaukee. “I can’t work full time now, and am finding it incredibly difficult to find a part time job where I can have paid sick leave for my child. I want to succeed at work and I want my child to succeed.”
April 25 will be the official beginning of signature collecting for the ballot initiative. 9-5 will file its necessary papers to bring the legislation into stage for potential voter placement. The following day will provide a chance for students to be a part of the movement by providing signatures on campus at noon.
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