PAID SICK DAYS

WHEREAS, sickness is a common issue that everyone, regardless of age, class or employment, must find ways to overcome; and

WHEREAS, illness or injury decreases the ability of workers to complete daily tasks; and

WHEREAS, coming to work sick will often spread the illness to others; and

WHEREAS, the most common cause of student absences is common illnesses; and

WHEREAS, many illnesses can be overcome by staying home for a few days; and

WHEREAS, low-wage workers can't afford missing a day of work to recover from an illness; and

WHEREAS, when children become sick, their parents are often the only ones available to care for them; and

WHEREAS, 71 percent of people working low-paid jobs don't have paid sick leave (everybodybenefitsoregon.org); and

WHEREAS, 22 of the most developed nations already guarantee paid sick time to their workers (Center for Economic and Policy Research, "Contagion Nation"):

RESOLVED, that the American Federation of Teachers will advocate for legally protected sick leave for all employees, regardless of employment status; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT will advocate to include regulations that allow workers to use paid sick leave to care for their family.