Health and Economic Consequences of Universal Paid Sick Leave Policies During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Importance: Universal paid sick-leave (PSL) policies have been implemented in jurisdictions to mitigate the spread of SARS-CoV-2. However empirical data regarding health and economic consequences of PSL policies is scarce. Objective: To estimate effects of a universal PSL policy in Ontario, Canada's most populous province. Design: An agent-based model (ABM) to simulate SARS-CoV-2 transmission informed by data from Statistics Canada, health administrative sources, and from the literature. Setting: Ontario from January 1st to May 1st, 2021. Participants: A synthetic population (1 million) with occupation and household characteristics representative of Ontario residents (14.5 million). Exposure: A base case of existing employer-based PSL alone versus the addition of a 3- or 10-day universal PSL policy to facilitate testing and self-isolation among workers infected with SARS-CoV-2 themselves or because of infected household members. Main Outcome(s) and Measure(s): Number of SARS-CoV-2 infections and COVID-19 hospitalizations, worker productivity, lost wages, and presenteeism (going to a workplace while infected).

Benefits of Paid Sick Leave During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Multiple jurisdictions have adopted or adapted paid sick leave policies to reduce the likelihood of employees infected with SARS-CoV-2 presenting to work, which can lead to the spread of infection in workplaces. During the COVID-19 pandemic, paid sick leave has been associated with an increased likelihood of workers staying at home when symptomatic. Paid sick leave can support essential workers in following public health measures. This includes paid time off for essential workers when they are sick, have been exposed, need to self-isolate, need time off to get tested, when it is their turn to get vaccinated, and when their workplace closes due to an outbreak. In the United States, the introduction of a temporary paid sick leave, resulted in an estimated 50% reduction in the number of COVID-19 cases per state per day. The existing Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit (CRSB) cannot financially protect essential workers in following all public health measures, places the administrative burden of applying for the benefit on essential workers, and neither provides sufficient, nor timely payments. Table 1 lists the characteristics of a model paid sick leave program as compared with the CRSB. Implementation of the model program should be done in a way that is easy to navigate and quick for employers.

The Future of Labor Localism in an Age of Preemption

In recent years, labor and civil rights groups have successfully pushed for local regulation raising the minimum wage, creating new parenting and sick leave policies, and broadening anti-discrimination protections to address sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination. This article examines the viability of this worker-protective regulation at the local level in the face of current legal and political challenges. In particular, it considers the rise of state preemption laws that overturn local ordinances, which is the product of anti-regulatory mobilization at the state legislative level. The article provides case studies of state preemption and offers potential legal arguments for challenging preemption and safeguarding labor and civil rights localism. The author concludes, however, that given the uncertainty of whether these legal arguments will prevail in court, civil rights and labor advocates will need to engage politics at the state level to preserve and expand local innovations.

“JOB-KILLER” BILLS IN TOUGH ECONOMIC TIMES: SOCIAL MOVEMENTS AND LEAVE-POLICY AGENDAS BEFORE AND AFTER THE GREAT RECESSION*

How do economic conditions influence social movements' capacity to set legislative agendas? This research examines multiple efforts to expand family, medical, and sick leave policies in California across almost two decades spanning the Great Recession. Longitudinal analysis in a state with political conditions favorable to leave policy agendas permits close consideration of how varying economic conditions shape social movement influence in the policy process. Drawing from various qualitative sources, this research finds that, after the recession, leave bills were more often held in appropriations committees for their estimated costs to the state and anticipated pressures on funding sources. Weak economic conditions also shifted leave advocates' priorities away from leave policy issues toward maintaining public employment and services. The article advances social movement research by showing the mechanisms by which state fiscal capacity shapes social movement strategies and interacts with political conditions at the early, agenda-setting stages of the legislative process.

Educating Restaurant Workers About Paid Sick Leave: A Pilot Study From New York City

Across the United States, cities, states, and counties are rapidly adopting paid sick leave laws. Paid sick leave policies for restaurant workers may be particularly beneficial, since these workers are less likely to have these benefits and have the potential to spread infection through food-handling and engagement with the public. In order for paid sick leave laws to work, workers and employers must be educated about these laws broadly and effectively. Focusing on New York City, we conducted a pilot research using key stakeholder interviews to learn about New York City’s successes and challenges in educating workers and businesses about the law. Our findings indicate several lessons learned, including allocating sufficient funding, combined use of coalition building and organizing models, and attention to the needs of immigrant restaurant workers. Findings also suggest that greater attention should be paid to proactively addressing workplace organization and practices that thwart paid sick leave use.

Sick leave and medication use in pregnancy: a European web-based study

Background and objectiveA comparison of sick leave in pregnancy between countries is difficult as most studies have been conducted in single countries in Scandinavia. The objective of this study was to explore patterns of and reasons for sick leave during pregnancy on a multinational level, focusing on medication use but also differences in sick leave policies.Design and settingCross-sectional, web-based study in 12 European countries from October 2011 to February 2012. Data were collected via an electronic questionnaire.ParticipantsPregnant women and mothers of children under the age of 1 year.Primary outcome measureSick leave prevalence in pregnancy.ResultsOf 6686 women included, 3385 (50.6%) had been on sick leave during pregnancy. The rates of sick leave varied across countries, ranging from 31.7%–34.8% in Sweden and the UK to 62.4%–71.3% in Norway, Serbia, Croatia and Poland. The most common reasons for being on sick leave were pregnancy complications (26.5%); pain in the neck, back or pelvic girdle (16.2%); and nausea and vomiting (NVP, 16.0%). Women using medications for acute illnesses were more likely to be on sick leave than their non-medicated counterparts, while an opposite trend was observed for women with chronic disorders, where non-medicated women were more likely to be on sick leave. Women from countries with ‘low’ sick leave policies were less likely to have extensions of sick leaves compared with women from countries with ‘medium’ policies (adjusted OR 0.63, 95% CI 0.49 to 0.82).ConclusionThe rates of sick leave in pregnancy vary greatly across European countries. Women using medications were more likely to be on sick leave, especially for acute illnesses. The differences in sick leave patterns across countries only partially reflected differences in sick leave policies, which implies that sick leave in pregnancy is also affected by other national differences.