Lack of paid sick leave worsens epidemics, says UIUC prof
Congressional Dems include sick leave in call for action on coronavirus
Disease outbreaks like coronavirus are made worse by the lack of paid sick leave, according to a UIUC labor professor. (Shutterstock)
By Ted Cox
A professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign says the nation is in danger of epidemics in part because of its lack of paid sick leave for workers.
“It’s all part of the larger problem of tying health care to employment,” said Professor Robert Bruno, director of the Project for Middle Class Renewal at UIUC. “By not having a federal policy mandating paid sick leave, the government shortsightedly places everyone at greater risk by forcing low- and moderate-income workers to choose between a day’s pay and medical care.”
Bruno made the remarks in an interview published Monday by the Illinois News Bureau.
“If a worker doesn’t have access to quality health care, they have to take into consideration the cost variables of going to the doctor, putting their job at risk and losing income for a day by calling off sick,” he added. “It’s a disincentive for workers to take precautions, to take proactive measures.
“So yes, we’ve exposed more of our citizens to this epidemic because we don’t properly balance the health and welfare of our people with economic security. It’s truly baffling that we remain so behind other countries on this issue.”
On Sunday, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer included “paid sick leave for workers impacted by the quarantine orders or those responsible for caring for children in case of school closures,” in their call for federal action on the outbreak of coronavirus.
According to a story published Monday by the Associated Press, the Democratic leaders also called for “enhanced unemployment insurance for workers who may lose their jobs because of the outbreak; expansion of food programs to people impacted by coronavirus; and adequate protection for front-line workers in contact with those exposed.”
“We are demanding that the administration prioritize the health and safety of American workers and their families over corporate interests,” Pelosi and Schumer said in a statement. “The administration must move more quickly and seriously to address the severe impacts of the coronavirus on the financial security of America’s families.”
They also called for “widespread, free coronavirus testing, affordable treatment for all; protections from price gouging; and increased resources in the medical system to respond to increased demands.”
Bruno cautioned against business interests declaring that paid leave would be too costly.
“Where leave is available, it actually reduces employee absenteeism over time because workers tend to take care of a health issue right away,” he said. “As a result, minor illnesses don’t turn into something major that incapacitates them for a longer period of time.
“To be fair, we do have the Family and Medical Leave Act, but that is unpaid time away from your job,” Bruno added. “It’s certainly better than nothing, but it isn’t used anywhere near as much as it could be — most likely because people can’t afford to take unpaid time off. But when it’s used, most often in unionized workplaces, the effects are positive.”
Bruno called for “a real cultural shift” so that workers come to value themselves and their well-being, and he charged that income inequality has made U.S. workers desperate to maintain employment. “When almost half of all workers can’t come up with $400 in emergency cash, income inequality certainly is a major component of it,” he said. “If the choice is to take unpaid sick leave and not put food on the table, most people are going to work.
“Something like the coronavirus knows no class boundaries,” he added, “so we all become more vulnerable because we don’t have good public policy on sick leave and health insurance that balances the need to work. And that system is being put to the test right now.”
Like Pelosi and Schumer, Bruno called for federal government action, but he also said city and states can act on their own. “Frankly, it’s really at the federal level because an increasing number of states and big cities have adopted some form of paid leave, whether it’s paid parental leave or earned sick time,” he said. “Chicago is one of those cities but Illinois is not yet one of those states. Hopefully that changes soon.”
Later Monday, President Trump called a news conference after the stock market’s record one-day decline, saying “he will propose a temporary payroll tax cut and paid leave for hourly employees unable to work due to the coronavirus,” according to Politico, but “top Republican senators, and some White House aides, are still hesitant to enact such proposals at this point.”