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DJMN: House Bill Introduced To Help Workers Get Paid Sick Leave
WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--A senior House Democrat Tuesday introduced legislation directing employers to pay for up to five days' sick leave for workers they send home due to their contracting the H1N1 virus.
House Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller (D., Calif.) said Tuesday his bill would ensure that workers wouldn't miss out on wages if they contract the illness. The employer would be required to pay for the sick leave, and there would be no cost to the taxpayer, Miller said.
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.
Miller said his panel would hold a hearing on the legislation the week of Nov. 16.
If the bill is successfully enacted by Congress, it would take effect 15 days after being signed into law, and sunset in two years' time.
It was unclear whether the legislation has the support of House leadership or from Senate Democrats.
Miller said half of all workers, many of them blue collar, don't have access to paid sick leave. Often, these workers live on a paycheck-to-paycheck basis, meaning they can't afford to take time off if they fall ill.
"Many of them are either afraid or cannot afford to take time off, especially if they don't have access to paid sick leave," he said.
-By Corey Boles, Dow Jones Newswires; 202-862-6601; corey.boles@dowjones.com
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(END) Dow Jones Newswires
November 03, 2009 15:41 ET (20:41 GMT)
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