Protecting Employees, Employers and the Public: H1N1 and Sick Leave Policies

[Omaha Steve]

http://edlabor.house.gov/hearings/2009/11/protecting-employees-employers.shtml

Full Committee Hearing 10:00 AM, November 17, 2009 2175 Rayburn H.O.B
Washington, DC
The House Education and Labor Committee held a hearing Tuesday, November 17 on how employer paid sick leave policies can help slow the spread of contagious diseases, like the H1N1 flu virus.

At least 50 million American workers currently do not have access to paid sick leave, many in lower-wage industries that have direct contact with the public such as food-service, hospitality industry, schools and health care fields. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that a sick worker will infect one in ten co-workers. As a result, the CDC and other public health officials have advised employers to be flexible when dealing with sick employees and to develop leave policies that will not punish workers for being ill.

On November 3, U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the committee, and Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA), chair of the Workforce Protections Subcommittee, introduced the Emergency Influenza Containment Act (H.R. 3991). The temporary legislation will guarantee up to five paid sick days for a worker sent home or directed to stay home by an employer for a contagious illness, such as the H1N1 flu virus.

For more information on the bill, click here.
Archived Webcast »

Rep. George Miller (CA) Opening Statement »
Witnesses:

* Dr. Georges Benjamin » Executive Director American Public Health Association
* A. Bruce Clarke » President and CEO Capital Associated Industries
* Debra Ness » President National Partnership for Women and Families
* Dr. Anne Schuchat » Assistant Surgeon General of the United States, and the Director of National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases Centers for Disease Control and Prevention