Paid Sick Leave Passes!

After 11 hours of debate, Connecticut made history on June 4, 2011 as the first state in the nation to mandate paid sick leave for service workers.  The bill passed the Senate two weeks ago and will now go to the Governor’s desk for his signature.

 Read more.

See how your Representative voted here
See how your Senator voted here here 

Our work with Everybody Benefits Coalition supports paid sick leave policy,  SB 913, which promotes women coming to work healthy, having the chance to care for sick children and family members at home, receiving preventive health care services while having the income security to support her decisions.   What we know is the burden of inadequate paid sick days falls heaviest on women who are more likely to be the primary care givers to their sick children and other family members. Half of working mothers miss work when their child gets sick. And of these mothers, half do not get paid when they take this time off. As advocates for reproductive justice we must consider all aspects of a woman’s life including those that may affect her economic stability.   

Read our testimony in support of SB 913

The Everybody Benefits Coalition is working to ensure paid sick days for CT workers as an important public health benefit that will improve access to health care and provide economic security for CT families. Planned Parenthood understands that women and families are disproportionately affected by the lack of paid sick days because most often they are the primary caregivers of their families. Women also need paid sick days for their prenatal care which is critical for a health pregnancy.