We continuously tell people to stay home when they’re sick, but we don’t guarantee paid sick days. And, yesterday at the same time that the World Health Organization was announcing a pandemic, our Congress was debating a bill that would guarantee paid sick days. Where is the logic in this? I think it’s ridiculous that paid sick days is even a question … isn’t it a no-brainer? Am I alone in this? (Click on the title above to get to the comment form.)
Here is Debra Ness testifying yesterday for the Healthy Families Act.
Here’s a ridiculous amount of information about swine flu, paid sick days … and bagels.
More about the Healthy Families Act & Paid Sick Days
Description and history of the bagel
PS: If you don’t understand the connection between bagels and swine flu, then you’re obviously not reading our e-mails – subscribe today! Check out our email archive.
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No Responses to coffee, bagels, and swine flu
Kristin
June 12th, 2009 at 2:43 pm
We are a one-income family of four. My husband works in retail, two weeks of paid vacation, no paid sick days. If not for the security network of family and friends we would surely be fearful of unpaid sick days. If we were house poor, as many families are, even one week without pay would be a serious financial hardship. I wonder how many families spend 40-50% of their income just on housing/utilities. . . It makes it hard to eat healthy, much less afford to stay home with the flu.
Susannah Sprague
June 15th, 2009 at 9:29 am
I have been sick for at least six weeks now with some virus. I don’t have health insurance, so whatever I have had is not known because I didn’t get medical attention. I take vitamin C and fluids for it. I’m self-employed, so I can at least set my own hours to some degree.
My oldest daughter (not a child, married with 2 children) works two part-time jobs. Her husband has been laid off from work for months and has had only unemployment, so my daughter cannot miss any work. She works in retail and is in constant contact with the public.
Another aspect of the swine flu pandemic that interests me is that I believe is has purposely been underreported for economic reasons. Consider this: to confirm cases means to close workplaces and schools.
My daughter’s two children have been sick at the same time she and I were.(We are, incidentally, one household.) When the children were treated, the medical staff wore face masks, which was unusual. My grandson, who has fairly severe asthma, gets pneumonia and flu shots. Whatever virus he got caused him to develop pneumonia anyhow. Both children were treated with antibiotcs.
Swine flu has to be identified by lab tests and the children’s doctor didn’t do this. I don’t mind, because their treatment was effective, but my guess is that if they had been tested, it may have been swine flu – and aren’t they closing schools and workplaces for that? Who can afford it? Not us – we need to both go to work and have the children in school while we work!
admin
June 25th, 2009 at 5:51 am
Hi Susannah – thank you for adding your story here. Also, I would love to chat with you over the phone and collect your story. As you well know, part of creating changes in social policy relies upon stories from real women in Maine. drop me a line cwarren@mainewomen.org, or give me a call when you have a moment or two 207.622.0851. Thanks!
admin
June 25th, 2009 at 5:52 am
Hi Kristin – thank you for your comments – and for reading the blog.