IMPROVED SICK LEAVE FOR ALL UNIVERSITY EMPLOYEES

WHEREAS, everyone is prone to illness and physical injury; and

WHEREAS, preventing the spread of illness is a universally recognized human good; and

WHEREAS, university employees often work in close quarters where illness and diseases may easily be spread; and

WHEREAS, illness will decrease one's work production; and

WHEREAS, many day care providers, preschools and schools will not allow an ill child to attend; and

WHEREAS, the need to take care of a family member during a time of illness/injury is already a recognized necessity under the Family and Medical Leave Act; and

WHEREAS, paid time off from work (a union invention) is a long recognized way to restrict the spread of illness and to help in the cure of illness; and

WHEREAS, the ability to become ill holds regardless of class hierarchies, ethnicities, gender distinctions; and

WHEREAS, this is also true of job title categories: the highest-paid person is as naturally prone to illness as the lowest-paid; and

WHEREAS, to provide the highest-paid workers with the most sick days and the lowest-paid with the least is illogical and pestiferous, as well as invidious, inhumane and morally repugnant; and

WHEREAS, one result of this pestiferous inhumanity, those with fewer sick days are by virtue of that fact more likely to come to work sick and spread illnesses; and

WHEREAS, legislative and political movements are already being conducted to require paid sick leave for all employees; and

WHEREAS, the vast majority of civil service employees at our state universities only receive 12 paid sick leave days a year, while many others receive 18 or more paid sick leave days; and

WHEREAS, just the flu alone requires four to five days for recovery and up to 10 days for complete recovery; and

WHEREAS, some illnesses extend way beyond the 12 days of sick leave; and

WHEREAS, current rules and laws prohibit the use of sick leave banks to be utilized to help an employee take care of a family member:

RESOLVED, that those with the fewest sick days should have the same number of sick days as those with the most; and

RESOLVED, that the American Federation of Teachers will work to increase paid sick leave for all civil service employees and those with only 12 paid sick days; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT will provide the research needed to make these arguments at the bargaining table; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT will work to change existing law to allow "sick leave banks" to be utilized for employees who are also taking care of family members; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT will support legislative attempts to mandate/increase paid sick leave for all employees.