Staying Home From Work Easier Said Than Done

To combat the spread of the swine flu, Obama had advised workers to stay home if they were feeling ill. Seems simple and logical enough. Thing is: for many workers in this economic climate, missing a day of work is easier said than done. Here is the Economic Policy Institute in an article called "Sensible Approach to Flu Scare Makes No Sense for Many Working Americans."

Problem is, millions of Americans can’t just stay home because they’re under the weather. When EPI looked at corporate sick leave policies in 2007 it found that some 43% of all private-industry workers have no paid sick days. Rather than the common sense precaution the President advices, these workers have a more difficult choice of going to work sick or staying home without pay and risk losing their jobs. In this current climate of high unemployment and even higher job insecurity, workers without any formal sick leave are even less likely to risk taking a day off.

Even more problematic, access to time off for health reasons is especially rare in low-paying jobs. In a 2006 compensation survey, the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that 79% of those earning more than $29.47 per hour had sick time, but only 16% of those earning less than $7.38 an hour had the same benefit.