At the Lobby – certainly we’re disappointed. Despite clear benefits to people and businesses, today the Labor Committee rejected a bill to establish the critical protection of paid sick days for Maine people. It’s a major blow to Maine workers and their families. Maine voters, nearly 90% of whom support enacting paid sick days, may indeed see this legislative session conclude with no new protections for themselves and their families.

As for the proposed amendment, certainly, it’s a way forward that everyone can agree on – no one should be fired simply for following doctor’s advice and staying home when ill. The fear of losing wages is bad enough – but losing your entire future livelihood is an unimaginable risk for most of us. Meanwhile, we and the 40 organizational members of Maine’s Work and Family Coalition will continue to advocate for policies, such as paid sick days, that meet the needs of today’s working families

The Labor committee will have its fourth work session on the bill and will likely vote on this amendment today at 2:00. We encourage your support in moving this amendment forward, and look forward to you activism the future when we once-and-for-all achieve the necessary workplace protection of paid sick days for all Maine workers!

Stay tuned for updates this afternoon!

And that is a point we are seeing again and again in this campaign to pass paid sick days: that this important legislation is not something that is going away. Why? Put clearly: because it is the right thing to do.

It seems to be the consensus among business owner and citizens a like that that paid sick days “is just the right thing to do.” In a Feb 12th letter to the Bangor Daily News, Restaurant Owner Mark Horton commented that, “I am confident that when all is said and done paid sick days only help my bottom line with decreased turnover and increased productivity. And more importantly, it is the right thing to do for the people who make my success possible.” This sentiment was reiterated again in a February 11 letter in the Lewiston Sun Journal, Lewiston resident Dot Treadwell cites the burden imposed on a family when parents are “forced to choose between caring for themselves or a sick child and losing their livelihood.”

This message is clear across the state of Maine, and across the nation as more and more states and municipalities are rushing to introduce this important legislation. Click here to see an interactive map and description of states and municipalities across the country that are working on a paid sick days campaigns. Maine is working along side: Alaska, Montana, California, New Hampshire, Colorado, New York City, Connecticut, North Carolina Illinois, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Vermont and Minnesota to enact paid sick days legislation. Maine is following in the footsteps of Milwaukee, San Francisco and Washington D.C. as these cities already have paid sick days legislation on the books.

“…Everyday during flu season, thousands of people go to work sick even though they know they should be staying home. The problem is, if they do the responsible thing and stay home, they lose a day’s pay. For the thousands of Mainers who lack paid sick time exposing their coworkers and customers is a risk they have to take in order to ensure the rent is paid, the cupboard is full and the heat stays on.”  Read Senate President Libby Mitchell’s blog post on paid sick days…and pass it on!