Yay for Connecticut deciding that it is good for workers to be able to take paid sick leave when they need to! Hopefully, this will mean fewer sick people come in to work unnecessarily, at least in theory.
Connecticut is the first state to mandate sick leave for all workers. Granted, it is only 1 hour of paid leave for every 40 hours worked, but it is a start. It is kind of stunning to me that this kind of thing needs to be legislated, but it definitely does. I see people on the metro all the time who are tremendously ill and dressed for their jobs in service professions. Think for a moment about the ramifications of that. These people are cleaning your offices, preparing your food, caring for the (also) sick... To think that they do these things while ill would make them less effective. Business just cares that the work gets done, not about the people who do it.
I am also saddened that it has taken this long and that business leaders are worried that it will make Connecticut less competitive. I'm sorry business leaders, but this is a matter of public health. One very sick person on public transit or in an office building or sneezing on salads could potentially sicken hundreds. What is so bad about making the employers that gain from their work also protect these workers (along with other employees)? Paid sick leave should not be treated as a fringe benefit, especially among those who are most impacted by this legislation.
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