Flu Epidemic Worsens: Massachusetts Workers Need Earned Sick Time - : Jump to: Search, Content, Nav
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Contact your State Legislators to tell them this legislation is important to you!

  • Look up your State Legislators
  • E-mail your State Senator
  • E-mail your State Representative
  • Call the Massachusetts State House and ask for your Representative and/or Senator: (617) 722-2000
  • E-mail the Governor or call his office and tell him this legislation is important to you (617)725-4005 or 888.870.7770 (in state)

Flu Epidemic Worsens: Massachusetts Workers Need Earned Sick Time

Flu season is here and pounding us harder than ever before. Mayor Menino just declared a public health emergency in the City of Boston. The latest reports show an increasingly severe flu season. Since 10/1/12, there have been 750 confirmed cases of flu among Boston residents – 10 times the number of cases confirmed for all of last flu season! The Boston Public Health Commission states that infants, young children and seniors have been particularly hard hit.

One million Massachusetts workers do not have any access to earned sick time, forcing them to choose between their health and their job. Public health crises like this flu epidemic should not force families into financial crisis. Workers, their families and our economy urgently need the protection of the Earned Paid Sick Time Act!

We need everyone to call their State Senators and Representatives and recruit as many bill co-sponsors for the Earned Paid Sick Time bill as possible! The more co-sponsors we recruit, the more allies we’ll have to pass the bill this year.

First, if you haven't gotten a flu shot, use the Boston Flu Clinic Finder to locate the nearest facility to you.

Second, we urge you to contact your legislators to support earned sick time for all Massachusetts workers.

Once you find your State Legislators you can go directly to their contact information.  

Whether you call or email, you might offer something like this:


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Hi. My name is ___________. I live at ________________, and am a constituent of Sen. / Rep. ______________. I’m calling to urge the Senator/ Representative to co-sponsor the Earned Paid Sick Time bill, which Sen. Dan Wolf and Sen. Pat Jehlen are filing in the Senate, and Rep. Kay Khan is filing in the House.

  • There are almost 1 million workers in Massachusetts without a single earned sick day, who risk losing a day’s pay, or worse, a job, to stay home to recover from the flu or take care of a sick child.
  • The Earned Paid Sick Time bill is a new bill that helps protect jobs, the public health and boost our economy.
  • Under the bill, workers have to earn their sick time – at the rate of 1 hour for every 30 hours worked.
  • The bill was drafted with the input of small business owners, including “Mom and Pop” shops that have the option of paying for their workers’ earned sick time.

The City of Boston has just declared a public health emergency due to the increasingly severe flu season. Since 10/1/12, there have been 750 confirmed cases of flu among Boston residents – over 10 times the number of cases confirmed for all of last flu season!

Public health crises like this flu epidemic should not force families into financial crisis. Workers, their families and our economy urgently need the protection of the Earned Paid Sick Time Act!

 

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