Proposed H1N1 (Swine) Flu Sick Leave Legislation May Cause More Problems

Over the last several months, employee provided benefits have been thrust into the public consciousness. President Barack Obama and Democratic Party leaders point to an employer's role in providing their employees health care. Debate over employee benefits is reaching the topic of H1N1 (Swine) flu preparedness. Safety News Alert found that, "84% believe the recession creates more pressure to show up for work, even if they feel sick." House of Representatives is considering legislation to address this issue.

H1N1 (Swine) flu pandemic has brought the issue of unpaid sick leave to the forefront. The Free Library found that, "one-third of American workers...aren't paid for their sick time." United States Census's Population Clock currently states the United States population at 307,851,912. That means that 101,591,130 Americans are not offered paid sick leave by their employers.

Doctors, physicians, local public health departments, county public health departments, state public health departments, Centers for Disease Control, and medical professionals are telling people the best way to avoid H1N1 spread is to stay home. The Free Library described the issue as, "Everyone from physicians to politicians has been encouraging us to wash our hands and, most importantly, to stay home from work and keep our kids home if we or our children have flu-like symptoms."

H1N1 (Swine) flu pandemic has the potential to dessimate American families. A large amount of Americans are already living paycheck to paycheck. The Unites States's current economic turndown makes this fact even more precarious. Now, American families face the fact of unpaid leave if they contract the H1N1 (Swine) flu. H1N1 (Swine) flu pandemic stands to make 101,591,130 American working families ask themselves, "Do I listen to my physician, stay home, lose my income, and protect everyone from H1N1 (Swine) flu or do I go to work to make money?" This is a horrible position for American families to be in.

The legislation is aimed at allowing workers, affected by H1N1 (Swine) flu, access to paid sick leave. Today, the Department of Labor announced, "U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, and Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA), chair of the Workforce Protections Subcommittee, announced emergency temporary legislation today that will guarantee five paid sick days for a worker sent home or directed to stay home by their employer for a contagious illness, such as the H1N1 flu virus."

The proposed legislation seems to be a major step forward for millions of American families. Proposed legislation would only affect employers who make the decision to send sick employers home. Wall Street Journal explained this potential dilemma by stating, "The bill wouldn't oblige employers to pay for workers' time off. It would tell them that, if they intend to send employees who are ill home, they must then pay for them to have up to five days' leave." Employees decided to stay home on their own would not be guaranteed the five days of paid sick leave. Employees would only be guaranteed five paid sick leave days, if their employers required that they stay home.

The proposed H1N1 (Swine) flu legislation seems to be a large step forward for millions of American working families. Logic tells us that the potential outcome is much different. Millions of Americans are left without paid sick leave, by their employers. Are these employers likely to allow Congress to force them to pay their employees sick leave or are they more likely to refrain from requiring their employees to stay home with the H1N1 (Swine) flu?

References
Hosier, Fred. Stay home! Flu-ridden employees still coming to work. October 2009. Safety News Alert. Retrieved on November 3, 2009 from http://www.safetynewsalert.com/got-flu-co-workers-say-stay-home/
US Pop Clock Projection. November 2009. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on November 4, 2009 from http://www.census.gov/population/www/popclockus.html
H1N1 scare exposes our sick-leave dilemma. n.d. The Free Library. Retrieved on November 4, 2009 from http://www.thefreelibrary.com/H1N1+scare+exposes+our+sick-leave+dilemma.-a0201549170
House Democrats Introduce H1N1 Flu Emergency Sick-Leave Bill United States Department of Labor. November 2009. Retrieved on November 4, 2009 from http://edlabor.house.gov/newsroom/2009/11/house-democrats-introduce-h1n1.shtml
Boles, Corey. Wall Street Journal. Retrieved on November 3, 2009 from http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125728341627425347.html