State Senator Edith G. Prague
May 1, 2008
Prague Earns Senate Nod For First in the Nation Paid Sick Leave Standards
State Senator Edith G. Prague (D-Columbia), the Senate Chair of the legislature's Labor and Public Employees Committee, tonight outlasted a furious debate and won Senate passage of her initiative to establish minimum standards for paid sick leave for Connecticut workers. Senator Prague's bill, should it become law, would provide the first such statewide requirements in the nation.
The initiative was opposed by many Republican Senators as well as the Connecticut Business and Industry Association (CBIA). After tonight's 20 to 16 vote, the bill was sent immediately to the House of Representatives for its consideration.
"A uniform, paid sick leave policy will help Connecticut businesses stay productive, because employees who are ill will simply stay home, they won't spread illness among co-workers, and they'll no longer go to work simply for the day's pay," Senator Prague said. "It's simply a matter of respect for workers, because everyone becomes ill once-in-a-while and fairness, because no one should be forced from his or her sick bed when they're too sick to work."
"This is especially true in the food service industry, with its preponderance of hourly workers and the high risk of food-borne illness," Senator Prague added.
Details of the bill allow hourly workers to accrue one hour of paid sick leave for every 40 hours worked. These workers are then permitted to take up to 6.5 days of earned, paid sick leave per year. Part-time and seasonal workers are exempted from these provisions.
"The reality is that most hourly workers in Connecticut don't have the financial wherewithal to absorb a day or two of lost income when they become ill, so they go to work anyway, further risking their own good health and potentially infecting many of their co-workers," Senator Prague said. "In the past couple years there has been a growing realization of how important it is to have a healthy workforce; this bill simply provides the opportunity for sick workers to rest, get well sooner, and avoid spreading their illness."
"I'm delighted by the support this bill received in the Senate tonight and I urge our counterparts in the House to act favorably on the bill to the benefit of thousands of hourly workers in Connecticut," Senator Prague added.
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