Every Worker in Alaska Should Have Paid Sick Days
6 April 2008Based on research by the Alaska Public Interest Research Group, only 60% percent of workers in Alaska have paid sick days, according to an analysis of data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This leaves 40% percent, or 119,280 workers, without a sickness policy allowing them to stay home with pay when they’re sick.
A modest plan ensuring a minimum paid sick days standard in Alaska would save $9.07 per worker per week. These savings would come from reduced turnover, lower productivity losses for sick workers on the job, avoiding relatives’ short-term nursing home stays, and a healthier workforce. Costs for wages, payroll taxes, and administrative expenses would be much lower: $6.47 per worker per week.
Nationally, 30 percent of workers have paid sick days for staying home with ill children, and 33 percent are covered by paid sick days when they go to the doctor. Low-wage workers have the least access to paid sick days, with only 27 percent covered. Certain industries have exceptionally poor paid sick days policies, such as restaurants (14 percent of workers have access to paid sick days). See Alaska poll data for more details.
The National Scene: Voters Overwhelmingly Support Paid Sick Days
Nine in 10 voters (89 percent) surveyed support a basic labor standard
guaranteeing paid sick days.
- Support for paid sick days is consistent across demographic lines.
- Support for paid sick days is equally high among women (89 percent) and men (88 percent) surveyed.
- Ninety-one percent of African Americans and 97 percent of Latinos surveyed reported that they favor a basic labor standard of paid sick days to care for themselves or ill family members.
Support for paid sick days is strong across party lines. While Democrats voiced particularly intense support for paid sick days (94 percent),support among Independents and Republicans was also high at 90 percent and 83 percent, respectively.
Voters polled view paid sick days as a basic workplace standard—like a decent wage.
- When asked whether they agreed or disagreed with the statement, “paid sick days is a basic workplace standard, just like being paid a decent wage,” nearly half (49 percent) agreed very strongly.
- Nearly one in eight voters surveyed said that they or a family member had been disciplined for taking a sick day.
- Twelve percent of voters surveyed said that they or an adult worker in their family had been fired, suspended, written up or penalized by an employer for taking time off from work to care for a sick child or family member, or to cope with an illness.
- Nearly a quarter (24 percent) of voters between ages 30 – 39 said that they or a family member had been disciplined for taking a sick day.
Survey Methodology: Lake Research Partners designed and administered this survey, which reached 1,200 likely voters nationwide via phone between June 20th and 27th, 2007. The margin of error for the sample is +/-2.8%.
Working people shouldn’t be forced to risk their jobs to take care of their families. These poll results clearly demonstrate the need and support for updated laws that reflect the realities of today’s working families. Currently, there are no state or federal laws that require workplaces to provide paid sick days. That’s why advocates across the nation are working to support paid sick days initiatives, including the federal Healthy Families Act and more than a dozen city and state initiatives.
For more information, visit the National Partnership for Women and Families.