“This is a symbol of progress for the movement and the fact that Connecticut is taking the lead really does provide a model and hope for the country,” said Vicki Shabo, director of work and family programs at the Washington, D.C.-based National Partnership for Women and Families.

Vicki Shabo, director of work and family programs at the National Partnership for Women and Families in Washington, D.C., said the “most exciting and prominent action” on behalf of paid sick leave is at the municipal level, with San Francisco and Washington, D.C., requiring the benefit.

“When women do better, families do better. Yet every day, women across the country are forced to choose between their family’s health and their paychecks because their jobs don’t allow them to earn paid sick days,” said Debra Ness, president of National Partnership for Women & Families.

When he moves into the governor’s mansion next month, Connecticut will be poised to become the first state to enact legislation allowing workers to earn paid sick days, according to the National Partnership for Women and Families in Washington, D.C.

“This study has important implications for the nation’s economy,” said Debra Ness, president of the National Partnership for Women and Families. “With unemployment so high and job searches taking so long, greater access to earned paid sick days will help ensure that workers won’t lose their jobs if they get sick or a child needs care.”

According to the National Partnership for Women and Families, about 55 percent of U.S. workers don’t have paid sick days.

Debra Ness, who is president of the National Partnership for Women and Families, says there’s growing recognition that paid sick leave benefits employers, as well as employees.

“Health reform was a giant step forward, but working people need to be able to access health care,” said Debra Ness, President of the National Partnership for Women and Families. “The best system in the world does no good to a worker who can’t take time off to visit a doctor or get a test.”