7 ms·

Most folks don't have paid time off when they are sick. Even if they do, they'll still get in trouble for attendance when they are sick - and those days are oft

Most folks don't have paid time off when they are sick. Even if they do, they'll still get in trouble for attendance when they are sick - and those days are often limited to 5 per year. The big issue is that nothing is required, with the big exception of FMLA. FMLA doesn't cover small places nor part-time employees, though, and it doesn't mean you'll be paid. Many people cannot afford to go to the doctor either. There is absolutely no safety net for people.

ac29 7y ago
> The big issue is that nothing is required The most populous state in the country requires a minimum of 3 days paid sick leave for employees: https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/Paid_Sick_Leave.htm https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/Paid_Sick_Leave.htm Employers cant legally prevent employees from using this time. But, given that low-income people have little ability to fight violations of the law, I'd hardly be surprised to hear that people are forced (or feel forced) to work while sick.
- Ghjklov 7y ago
  "If an employee does not have any accrued or available paid sick leave, however, (e.g., if the employee has already used all of his or her accrued and available paid sick leave under the employer’s policy, including as consistent with Labor Code section 233), and if the employee has an unscheduled absence that would otherwise violate the employer’s attendance policy, the paid sick leave law does not prohibit the employer from giving the employee an “occurrence” for such absence, even if the employee was actually sick and/or could have used paid sick leave for the absence if he or she had any such leave accrued. The paid sick leave law does not “protect” all time off taken by an employee for illness or related purposes; it “protects” only an employee’s accrued and available paid sick leave as specified in the statute."
  - ac29 7y ago
    Sure, and three days is pretty slim - its easy to be pretty sick for three days with a single occurrence of illness. But the above quote is just a wordy way of saying "you aren't entitled to more sick leave than the 3 days provided for by this law". Federal law [0] says you cant be fired for taking up to 12 weeks off per year to take care of, among other things, "major illness" (understood to mean that it does not cover things like colds or flu, unless they require hospitalization). But, it also only applies to businesses with over 50 employees, so non-chain restaurants are unlikely to follow this law. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_and_Medical_Leave_Act_of_1993 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_and_Medical_Leave_Act_o...
- Broken_Hippo 7y ago
  Ok. But honestly, the other 69% of Americans that don't live in California don't get this. Not only that, but it can somehow vary by employer. Other places simply have it for everyone, and a union negotiation won't take away the safety net, as it is a right. It can only add benefits to the minimum.
  - maxerickson 7y ago
    There's a fair number of state laws by now: https://www.workplacefairness.org/paid-sick-leave https://www.workplacefairness.org/paid-sick-leave I haven't reviewed them all, but the ones I've looked at are pretty meager, ~40 hours a year (and often conditional on employer size), which won't do much other than take the edge off if you get more than a little sick.

ac29 7y ago

> The big issue is that nothing is required The most populous state in the country requires a minimum of 3 days paid sick leave for employees: https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/Paid_Sick_Leave.htm https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/Paid_Sick_Leave.htm Employers cant legally prevent employees from using this time. But, given that low-income people have little ability to fight violations of the law, I'd hardly be surprised to hear that people are forced (or feel forced) to work while sick.

Ghjklov 7y ago
"If an employee does not have any accrued or available paid sick leave, however, (e.g., if the employee has already used all of his or her accrued and available paid sick leave under the employer’s policy, including as consistent with Labor Code section 233), and if the employee has an unscheduled absence that would otherwise violate the employer’s attendance policy, the paid sick leave law does not prohibit the employer from giving the employee an “occurrence” for such absence, even if the employee was actually sick and/or could have used paid sick leave for the absence if he or she had any such leave accrued. The paid sick leave law does not “protect” all time off taken by an employee for illness or related purposes; it “protects” only an employee’s accrued and available paid sick leave as specified in the statute."
- ac29 7y ago
  Sure, and three days is pretty slim - its easy to be pretty sick for three days with a single occurrence of illness. But the above quote is just a wordy way of saying "you aren't entitled to more sick leave than the 3 days provided for by this law". Federal law [0] says you cant be fired for taking up to 12 weeks off per year to take care of, among other things, "major illness" (understood to mean that it does not cover things like colds or flu, unless they require hospitalization). But, it also only applies to businesses with over 50 employees, so non-chain restaurants are unlikely to follow this law. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_and_Medical_Leave_Act_of_1993 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_and_Medical_Leave_Act_o...
Broken_Hippo 7y ago
Ok. But honestly, the other 69% of Americans that don't live in California don't get this. Not only that, but it can somehow vary by employer. Other places simply have it for everyone, and a union negotiation won't take away the safety net, as it is a right. It can only add benefits to the minimum.
- maxerickson 7y ago
  There's a fair number of state laws by now: https://www.workplacefairness.org/paid-sick-leave https://www.workplacefairness.org/paid-sick-leave I haven't reviewed them all, but the ones I've looked at are pretty meager, ~40 hours a year (and often conditional on employer size), which won't do much other than take the edge off if you get more than a little sick.