Less Paid Leave Means More Swine Flu, Study Claims

[tetano]

A lack of paid sick leave for roughly one-third of U.S. private sector workers may have contributed to 7 million more swine flu cases last fall, estimates a new study.

"During the recent flu pandemic, workers were urged to stay home when ill," notes the report, released Feb. 8 by the Institute for Women's Policy Research. "Many employees in the U.S., however, either cannot take leave when they or a child are sick or do not receive pay for doing so, forcing them to choose between their paycheck and the health of their children, customers, coworkers, and selves."

Using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the study estimated almost 26 million American workers age 18 and up may have been infected with swine flu from September through November 2009, the peak months of the pandemic. About 18 million employees took time off from work, the study said, meaning about 8 million went to work sick.

The study contrasted public sector employees ? of whom more than 90 percent have paid sick leave ? and private sector employees ? of whom 66 percent do.

"Findings suggest that workers in the public sector, where paid sick leave coverage is usually provided, were more likely to stay home when ill with H1N1 compared with workers in the private sector, where paid sick leave is less common," the study said

http://www.thompson.com/public/newsbrief.jsp?cat=EMPLOYLAW&id=2626

http://www.iwpr.org/pdf/B284sickatwork.pdf

 

[tetano]

Less Paid Leave Means More Swine Flu

Less Paid Leave Means More Swine Flu

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Less Paid Leave Means More Swine Flu, Study Claims
Date Posted: February 10, 2010
A lack of paid sick leave for roughly one-third of U.S. private sector workers may have contributed to 7 million more swine flu cases last fall, estimates a new study.

"During the recent flu pandemic, workers were urged to stay home when ill," notes the report, released Feb. 8 by the Institute for Women's Policy Research. "Many employees in the U.S., however, either cannot take leave when they or a child are sick or do not receive pay for doing so, forcing them to choose between their paycheck and the health of their children, customers, coworkers, and selves."

Using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the study estimated almost 26 million American workers age 18 and up may have been infected with swine flu from September through November 2009, the peak months of the pandemic. About 18 million employees took time off from work, the study said, meaning about 8 million went to work sick.

The study contrasted public sector employees ? of whom more than 90 percent have paid sick leave ? and private sector employees ? of whom 66 percent do.

"Findings suggest that workers in the public sector, where paid sick leave coverage is usually provided, were more likely to stay home when ill with H1N1 compared with workers in the private sector, where paid sick leave is less common," the study said.