Results tagged “H1N1” from EdLabor Journal

The Committee has a full schedule this week, including:

November 17: Hearing on how employer paid sick leave policies can help slow the spread of contagious diseases, like the H1N1 flu virus.

November 19: Hearing to review current federal literacy initiatives and explore ways to improve the reading comprehension skills of all children from birth through high school.

Note: The previously-scheduled Committee vote on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act has been postponed.

In response to President Obama's declaration of the H1N1 flu as a national emergency and federal health and labor officials urging sick workers to stay home, Rep. George Miller and Rep. Lynn Woolsey introduced the H1N1 Flu Emergency Sick-Leave Bill. It would provide five paid sick days for a worker sent home or directed to stay home by their employer for a contagious illness, such as the H1N1 flu virus.

Today the Los Angeles Times wrote an excellent article on why this legislation is necessary. As they said, "For many ill with the flu, staying home isn't an option." And they explained it this way:

For now, some feel torn between public health and protecting their jobs. Nationwide, 84% of workers said they felt pressured to come to work sick because of the recession, according to a September poll by Vancouver-based Angus Reid Strategies. The poll also showed that 69% of workers had not been offered vaccines or other precautions from employers.

One in six workers say they or a family member have been fired, suspended, punished or threatened for staying home sick or caring for a sick relative, according to a survey last year by the Washington, D.C.-based Public Welfare Foundation. Many large employers, such as Disney and Wal-Mart, dock workers disciplinary points for staying home even when they are ill.

"We are seeing more and more stories of workers who are infected with the virus but can't afford to stay home because they don't have paid sick leave," Miller said. "This puts both their co-workers and their customers at risk -- and could cost their employers money in lost productivity."

Chairman Miller cited an estimate, based on a 2004 study at Emory University, that the economy loses $180 billion in productivity a year when sick employees show up to work. The H1N1 Flu Emergency Sick-Leave Bill covers both full-time and part-time workers (on a pro-rated basis) in businesses with 15 or more workers. Employers that already provide at least 5 days’ paid sick leave are exempt. Additionally, an employer can end paid sick leave at any time by informing the employee that the employer believes they’re well enough to return to work. Providing security for employees who follow their employer’s direction to stay home because of contagious illness, they could not be fired, disciplined or made subject to retaliation for following directions. This bill would take effect 15 days after being signed into law and sunsets after two years.

According to the article, providing sick leave is not only good for the employee, but also beneficial to the bottom line.

Some employers say paid sick leave saves them money in the long run.

"If they're sick and they're getting other employees sick, that's just going to impact our employees more," said April Boduc, a spokeswoman for San Diego-based Sempra Energy, which gives employees 10 paid sick days a year and allows them to bank unused days and donate vacation days to sick co-workers.

Earlier today, Chairman Miller and Rep. Lynn Woolsey, chair of the Workforce Protections Subcommittee, announced emergency temporary legislation today that will guarantee five paid sick days for a worker sent home or directed to stay home by their employer for a contagious illness, such as the H1N1 flu virus.

The Wall Street Journal reports, "House Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller said his bill would ensure that workers wouldn't miss out on wages if they contract the illness. The employer would be required to pay for the sick leave, and there would be no cost to the taxpayer, Mr. Miller said.

The bill wouldn't oblige employers to pay for workers' time off. It would tell them that, if they intend to send employees who are ill home, they must then pay for them to have up to five days' leave.

Mr. Miller said his panel would hold a hearing on the legislation the week of Nov. 16. If the bill is successfully enacted by Congress, it would take effect 15 days after being signed into law, and expire in two years."

Explaining why this bill is needed, Contra Costa Times quotes Chairman Miller, "Sick workers advised to stay home by their employers shouldn’t have to choose between their livelihood, and their co-workers’ or customer’s health. This will not only protect employees, but it will save employers money by ensuring that sick employees don’t spread infection to co-workers and customers, and will relieve the financial burden on our health system swamped by those suffering from H1N1.”

And the next steps according to Reuters are, "Miller said the committee would hold a hearing the week of November 16 and he would press to have a full vote as soon as possible.

Miller said at least 50 million American workers are not paid for time taken off sick, 'many in lower-wage jobs that have direct contact with the public such as the food-service and hospitality industry, schools and health care fields.'"

For more background on who does and doesn't get sick leave, see this post on the New York Times' Economix blog.

The Chicago Tribune has an excellent back-to-school article about how schools are preparing for the upcoming flu season.

"As far as being a bellwether and a potential hot spot for epidemics, schools are probably No. 1 on the list," said Bill Mays, community health director with the Lake County Health Department.

How schools handle the virus is shaped by health experts. Last spring, when the first cases were diagnosed in the U.S., the federal government urged schools to shut down for up to 14 days if they had a confirmed case. More than 700 schools in the nation closed, including nearly three dozen in the Chicago area.

But schools this year likely will be slower to call off classes, based on new information. The CDC now says schools should be conservative about closing entirely. The agency instead urges parents to check their children each morning for flulike symptoms and keep them home from school if they have a fever.

What's more, the CDC has changed its recommendation about when students can return to class after a bout of swine flu. Previously, it said that students with confirmed cases should stay home for up to seven days. Now it's saying that students can return to class 24 hours after the fever ends.

"We can't stop the tide of flu, but we can reduce the number of people who become very ill by preparing well and acting effectively," said Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the CDC.

According to the CDC, students should:

• Stay home when sick: Those with flu-like illness should stay home for at least 24 hours after they no longer have a fever, or signs of a fever, without the use of fever-reducing medicines. They should stay home even if they are using antiviral drugs. (Visit for more information)


• Hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette: The new recommendations emphasize the importance of the basic foundations of influenza prevention: stay home when sick, wash hands frequently with soap and water when possible, and cover noses and mouths with a tissue when coughing or sneezing (or a shirt sleeve or elbow if no tissue is available).

UPDATED: The Department of Education, in conjunction with the CDC, Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of Homeland Security have issued federal guidelines with many options for schools during the 2009 H1N1 flu season.