Left Unsaid on Labor Day



  • 39.7 percent of workers have no paid leave whatsoever
  • 27.5 percent of full-time workers have no paid leave

Workers without paid leave lose wages (and sometimes jobs) when the flu strikes and they need to stay home to take care of themselves or to care for a family member. Or, unable to take time off, they show up sick at the job, send their children to child care with more than a sniffle or are unable to get their elders to a doctor. Studies show that, even among those workers lucky enough to have health insurance, those without sick days will delay getting medical attention and wind up in the emergency room more often than those with sick days.

Some have argued against standards for allowing workers to earn paid sick days, saying that workers can always use vacation days. These findings from ATUS show that many workers have no paid leave whatsoever -- not just earned sick days or personal days but also paid vacation. Even workers who have vacation days often must provide advance notice to their employers to use their vacation days; since bugs typically do not practice advance warning, workers who get a 'bug' are often unable to use a paid vacation day.

The U.S. is the only OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) nation that does not provide workers with any paid vacation or holiday time guaranteed by law. The nations in The European Union adhere to a floor of 20 days per year. EU nations like Germany, Austria, and Ireland offer more than the floor.

The good news is that states and localities are enacting laws to provide for earned sick days and paid family leave (for care of a new child or to address a serious illness). Connecticut, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, and Seattle all have earned sick days provisions and numerous initiatives are underway in places as diverse as Orange County, Florida; New York City, New York; and Portland, Oregon. In jurisdictions with laws in effect, employers report the requirements have not been difficult to implement and have been beneficial to their workforce. Paid family leave is state law in California, New Jersey, and Washington. Legislation has been introduced in Congress to make these policies national.

Labor Day 2012 has been celebrated. The holiday speeches left unsaid what we now know to be fact: for too many workers, there are no paid days off. Zero. That's something, instead, to shout-out.

site by Trilogy