"Hard-working Americans deserve to know that they can go see a doctor without losing their job," said SEIU Secretary-Treasurer Anna Burger, in response to the introduction of the Healthy Families Act (H.R. 2460) to both sides of Congress last week by Senator Kennedy and Representative DeLauro. The legislation would allow workers to earn up to 7 days of paid sick time, with an accrual of one hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours worked.

A new report from the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) shows that the United States is dead last among 22 industrial countries that fail to guarantee their workers some form of paid sick leave. Good health isn't just encompassed in having decent health coverage--it's also the ability to care for oneself or one's family members when sick, and to help prevent the spread of contagious diseases through the workplace. But what can you do when you have a job where you don't have any paid sick days for yourself, much less paid days off to care for a sick child?

This is the sad state of affairs for far too many of our nation's workers. Nearly half of private-sector workers in this country have no paid sick days, and low-income workers are doing even worse--76 percent have no paid sick leave. Overall, 57 million private-sector workers have no paid sick days, and 94 million cannot use their paid sick leave to stay home and care for an unwell child. Labor unions, business leaders and lawmakers see the bill as a compliment to real healthcare reform, as well as part of a larger move to improve workplace standards.

Meanwhile, Congressman Alan Grayson of Florida has introduced one of my favorite bills of the year--the Paid Vacation Act of 2009. It is the first paid vacation bill in U.S. history--which is a big deal, ladies and gentlemen! If passed, the bill will at minimum "require one week of paid vacation for employees of companies with at least 100 employees" after one year on the job. From Politico on the concept of the bill:

The idea: More vacation will stimulate the economy through fewer sick days, better productivity and happier employees.

"There's a reason why Disney World is the happiest place on Earth: The people who go there are on vacation," said Grayson, a freshman who counts Orlando as part of his home district. "Honestly, as much as I appreciate this job and as much as I enjoy it, the best days of my life are and always have been the days I'm on vacation."

"Every worker should have paid sick days," said bill sponsor Rep. DeLauro at a Capitol Hill last week. "It is a matter of right and wrong : [it] is a matter of values. The time for this is now." Tell Congress to pass the Healthy Families Act.