We already knew the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's extremism on issues such as financial reform, labor law, climate change and health care reform have left them out of touch with the mainstream. However, their recent opposition to a bill proposing paid sick leave for workers who contract flu-like symptoms in light of this year's H1N1 epidemic is simply unconscionable.

Chamber Vice President Randel K. Johnson recently stated that they oppose paid sick leave because "the vast majority of employers provide paid leave of some sort." The fact is, more than one-third of all workers don't get any paid sick leave. It's even worse for low-income workers like school food workers and in-home care aids: 76 percent don't have something many of us take granted--the right to a "sick day."

Despite widespread support for passing an emergency bill for employees to receive paid sick time if they contract flu-like symptoms, the U.S. Chamber is trying to kill it. "Anyone who thinks it's a good idea to force someone battling H1N1 to come to work either couldn't care less about the well-being of his employees, or couldn't know less about the way disease and infection spreads," said SEIU Secretary-Treasurer Anna Burger.

For too long, the Chamber has preferred to overlook low-income workers and real economic benefits in order to advocate for the perceived interests of large employers. No worker who gets sick should have to choose between their health and their paycheck.

Tell the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to cease lobbying against a common sense solution to keep our workplaces safe and healthy while America is in the middle of a record-breaking flu pandemic: http://action.seiu.org/page/s/ChamberH1N1