Paid Sick Leave and its Importance in Stemming the Coronavirus

As we think about strategies to mitigate the deadly spread of the coronavirus, we have to take a close look at the large gaps in access to sick leave and health insurance. Rarely are there such stark examples of the importance of establishing public policies that promote a level playing field and protect workers.

As the media have reported, and health organizations throughout the nation have urged, stemming the spread of an infection like influenza or the coronavirus can be achieved only if sick people stay at home, rather than going into work. For some, this option is readily available as their employers provide sick leave, but for a significant number of other workers it is not. Consequently, many are faced with the difficult choice of going to work sick or not getting paid and suffering critical economic consequences. The ramifications of those choices are not confined solely to that individual; they also have major health and economic consequences for the community at large.

The influenza outbreak about a decade ago provides a real-world example of the cost all of us face when people are forced to go to work sick. According to a 2010 report from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, about 8 million people went to work sick, and that lead to 7 million more people getting the flu. Ten years later, many millions of people still don’t have access to paid sick leave.

According to recent national data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, less than three-fourths of all workers have access to paid sick leave, and the rate is much lower for people working lower-wage jobs such as hospitality and food service. For example, less than half of those working in the food service industry are allowed paid sick leave. Only a little more than 40 percent of people working part-time have paid sick leave. These lower-wage jobs require employees to be in contact with many people on a daily basis, making it even more important that they are provided paid time off when they’re sick.

In addition, there are deep socio-economic and racial divides on who has access to paid sick leave, exacerbating already existing inequities. Only 47 percent of people in the bottom quarter of wage-earners have paid sick leave, compared to 90 percent of the top quarter wage earners. A 2016 report from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research shows that while slightly more than 60 percent of white people get paid sick leave, only 46 percent of Latinx and 53 percent of Native American people have paid sick leave.

Lack of affordable health insurance compounds the impact of having no paid sick leave. People who are uninsured or under-insured (for example, through a short-term plan or high deductible health plan) often have to choose between not being tested and getting treatment or facing often expensive medical bills if they go a doctor’s office or emergency room. Because Wisconsin has significant racial inequities in who has access to health insurance, this burden falls more heavily on Black, Native American, and Latinx residents.

Again, regardless of whether or not someone has insurance, if they do not have paid sick leave, they have to choose between showing up to work sick, or staying home and risking their wages or even their job. For lower-wage workers that loss of wages could mean not being able to afford groceries, utility bills, or paying rent on time, which could exacerbate the consequences of getting sick. The consequences of public health crises or disasters almost always fall heaviest on the people who already are marginalized and excluded.

Advocating for and implementing policy solutions that directly address the needs of the least supported and resourced has a positive impact on everyone – the concern around the spread of the coronavirus clearly demonstrates how meeting the needs of those furthest from opportunity would benefit everyone.

The people taking care of our children, serving our food, or caring for our elderly should not have to risk their health, the health of their clients, or their livelihoods and families when they get sick. Everyone would benefit if people were able to see a doctor, get tested, get treatment, and not risk losing their jobs or their wages.

Wisconsin’s failure to guarantee paid sick leave and affordable health insurance could have grave consequences for the health of all its citizens. While the Governor, lawmakers and administrators met with health experts this week, it is important to note that more can be done.

State politicians and private sector leaders need to take additional steps to ensure the safety of all Wisconsinites. They should:

• Encourage employers to offer paid sick leave – especially those in lower-wage jobs, part-time work, and workers in industries where they come into contact with many people on a daily basis.
• Reverse the Wisconsin statute that precludes local governments from requiring employers to offer paid sick leave.
• Loosen restrictions on unemployment insurance so people could qualify for it if they test positive and end up being quarantined; such measures could include waiving qualifiers like waiting periods, and work search requirements.
• Discourage the use of short-term health plans that offer skimpy coverage, which may not include testing for the coronavirus or the care necessary to prevent its spread.

Addressing the needs of those who do not have access to paid sick leave or health insurance would increase the health and safety for all of us by mitigating and halting the spread of viruses like influenza and COVID-19, thus reducing the toll on an already taxed health system.

William Parke-Sutherland & Erica Nelson