September 7, 2015
In addition to the rights and standards that the labor movement and workers’ rights activists have won over the years, we have something brand new to celebrate this Labor Day. President Obama announces today that he will sign an executive order requiring federal contractors to offer at least 7 paid sick days to their employees. The long-time organizing and leadership of 9to5 members and our allies on paid sick days helped make this happen.
You shouldn’t have to risk your job to take care of your or your family’s health, and you shouldn’t have to put your family at risk to keep your job. At 9to5, we know paid sick days are a workplace necessity for women, who are the primary caretakers of their children and elderly parents, as well as disproportionately represented in the low-wage industries where benefits like paid sick days are not yet a workplace standard. In addition to issuing today’s Executive Order, the President is renewing his call for Congress to pass the Healthy Families Act, which would require all businesses with 15 or more employees to offer up to 7 paid sick days each year.
Have a wonderful Labor Day, and stay tuned for information about how you can be part of the movement to extend paid sick days to all workers, including low-wage industries and women-dominated fields.
