COVID-19: A Call To Action

Today, Family Values @ Work, a network of 27 state coalitions working for paid sick & safe days, family & medical leave insurance and other policies that value families at work, released the following call to action to deal with the Covid-19 outbreak in the U.S.:

As COVID-19 arrives in the U.S., one thing is very clear: This nation will only be as healthy as our most vulnerable and least cared-for residents. We need action now to ensure that millions of people in the U.S. aren’t exposed to the virus by co-workers or others coming to work sick, as 7 million were during the H1N1 outbreak. We need to treat this public health emergency the same way we would a natural disaster. Our call to action for time to care goes hand in hand with calls for access to free or affordable testing and treatment for everyone who needs it and an emergency response package to help hard-hit small employers, employees and communities.

On paid time off in particular, everybody has a role to play to contain this outbreak:

THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

Paid Sick Time: Immediately, Congress must pass and the president must sign the Healthy Families Act, with a provision for public health emergencies that would provide all workers with paid sick time and ensure employers keep their jobs open for the duration of any virus-related time missed from work, including quarantine and isolation periods in line with recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control.

Emergency Paid Leave Fund: Many small employers will not be able to afford to pay wages of all employees who need to deal with virus-related time away from work. We need Congress to create and appropriately fund an emergency paid leave program so that anyone needing it can get fully paid time from work to see a doctor, take any necessary measures to heal or avoid spreading the virus or to provide care. These protections should apply to all working people, including part-time, self-employed and gig workers. The emergency fund will help ensure basic needs are met and provide disposable income to help sustain small businesses. Employees of a business that is forced to close for a period of time should be able to access unemployment insurance without barriers. 

Emergency Response Package: We must provide meaningful relief for small employers hard hit by the consequences of the outbreak as well as for government agencies, including supplementing unemployment funds.

Investment in Public Health Infrastructure: We must support the front-line health workers who will be caring for infected patients by making testing and treatment free or affordable and ensuring they have access to all appropriate safety equipment and measures.

Strengthen the Safety Net: Congress should maintain or increase funding levels for safety net programs as more families will likely need them. We need to ensure that those relying on public assistance programs are not penalized for taking time for testing, treatment or recovery from the coronavirus. 

OSHA Enforcement: OSHA regulations must be maintained during this time. Safety and health guidelines should be enforced and include penalties for employers that force workers to go to work when they might be contagious and in violation of OSHA regulations. 

Monitoring and evaluation: Make sure there is scientific evaluation of all steps to ensure effective action in the event of future outbreaks. 

LOCAL AND STATE GOVERNMENTS

Improve Existing Paid Sick Days Laws: Expand current paid sick days laws that are not universal so that they cover all workers. Ensure the public knows these laws exist and what their rights are, and conduct culturally appropriate outreach in multiple languages to reach all workers. For those who need longer time to deal with doctor-ordered quarantine or business or school closings, add at least job-protected unpaid time.

For those cities and states that have passed paid sick days, add a provision that the time can be used in case of a public health emergency—e.g., if school or job is closed even if the individual is not ill. Today 17 existing state and local laws already have this provision.

Pass Paid Sick Days Laws: Make these universal and effective immediately.

Remove Preemption Laws: States that have taken away the right of local governments to pass their own paid sick days laws should overturn those measures and allow cities to take quick action to protect their residents.

Paid Family and Medical Leave: States with paid family and medical leave programs need to expand job protection to any leave-taker dealing with the virus—for those affected by the outbreak who need longer recovery time or time for quarantine, isolation or caregiving. These states can also waive the one-week waiting period.

Join the Fight for Emergency Paid Leave Fund and Emergency Response Fund: Join us in demanding the federal government provide such a fund and an emergency response package for your community. City Councils and state governments should pass resolutions calling on their Members of Congress to support comprehensive solutions.

Bully Pulpit: Mayors and governors should use their bully pulpit to encourage businesses to offer paid sick time to help stop the spread of the virus. They should require or incentivize city and state contractors to offer paid sick time for employees dealing with the virus. 

EMPLOYERS

Paid Sick Time: Offer paid sick time to those who need to be tested, treated, or to heal. Ensure that the job of those who miss time because of treatment, quarantine or care will be there when they get back.

Put a sign in your window saying, “The workers at this establishment earn paid sick time and can afford to stay home when they are sick or need to provide care.”

If you’re a large employer, require all vendors to offer paid sick time.

Join the Fight for Emergency Paid Leave Fund and Response Fund: Join us in demanding the federal government provide such a fund and an emergency response package for your community.

ALL OF US

Take Action: Join with us to organize for the steps listed above.

Speak Up: Ask your employer whether the people who clean your workplace and serve your food—many of whom are employed by an outside contractor—have access to paid sick time. Join with others to demand these contractors provide paid time. When eating out, ask whether the workers at that restaurant earn paid sick time.

The coalitions in our Family Values @ Work network will be organizing with their partners for these solutions. And we will continue to work for systemic change, including passage of the Healthy Families Act to cover all working people and passage of the FAMILY Act, to establish a paid family and medical leave insurance fund with adequate wage replacement, job guarantee for all leave-takers, and an inclusive definition of family. It shouldn’t take a possible pandemic to remind us that our nation does best when everyone has time to heal and provide care for those they love.