Don’t want swine flu with lunch? Then offer paid sick leave

BY STEVEN HILL, Daily News

The spread of the swine flu contagion has yet to reach scary “I Am Legend” proportions, but things are getting pretty hairy out there. The World Health Organization has declared a pandemic, the first flu pandemic in 41 years, as infections continue to climb in the United States, Europe, Australia, South America and elsewhere.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States has confirmed 45 deaths associated with swine flu among more than 17,500 cases reported. With the U.S. economy already reeling, workplaces also have been affected, causing President Obama to urge workers with flu symptoms to “stay home.”

But for far too many American workers, that is easier said than done. About 160 nations provide mandatory paid sick days, with 127 providing a week or more annually. Unfortunately the U.S. is not one of them, leaving some 60 million workers – 43% of the private industry labor force – without any paid sick days.

What that really means is that, in all these other countries, when you’re sick, they want you to stay home and take care of yourself. In the United States, when you’re sick we want you to report to work and infect your coworkers and customers.

Leaving aside the moral arguments, such a policy makes little economic sense. Coverage is missing most for many service sector and low-income workers who can least afford to self-subsidize their own sick leave. So when you go to a restaurant, or to your local grocery or office supply store, there’s a good chance that the employees handling your food or handing you your change don’t have any paid sick leave coverage. If they get sick, they probably cannot afford to stay home.

Care for some swine flu served with your French fries, anyone?

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