On the heels of the release of the new blockbuster Contagion — a frightening film about a global flu pandemic — our coalition partner Family Values @ Work has compiled real-life stories about how the flu and other illnesses can spread, particularly when more than 44 million workers in the United States have no paid sick days to use when they become ill or injured. Millions more have no paid sick days to care for a sick child or close family member.
During the H1N1 outbreak, an estimated seven million people in the U.S. caught the flu from their co-workers. Every day, workers who have significant interaction with the public — such as those working in food service, child care and personal care — are forced to go to work sick because they don’t have paid sick days. Contagion may be fictional but, without a national paid sick days standard, the country faces a very real threat to public health.
Our workers, families and communities deserve better.
Check out Contagion: Not Just a Movie
Hats off to Family Values @ Work for shedding light on real stories of contagion.
