The CDC recommends that those who experience flu-like symptoms “should stay home and avoid contact with other people except to get medical care.” However, for a huge number of American workers, that option doesn’t exist due to a lack of paid sick days. 40 percent of private sector workers and a whopping 80 percent of low-income workers do not have a single paid sick day. One in five workers reports losing their job or being threatened with dismissal for wanting to take time off while sick.
This problem is especially acute in the food industry, with its high potential for spreading disease. 79 percent of food workers say they have no paid sick time.
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from Think Progress (via shiracoffee)
This flu going around is reaching actual epidemic proportions in some cities. A big part of that problem is the fact that low-income people cannot afford to take a day off. So sick people are riding the bus, taking the train, serving your food, and giving you your change at the store. But remember, we can’t give them benefits, because that would hurt businesses. …Well, except for all the money businesses lose when employees who do have benefits have to call out sick. And the lost productivity when sick people come to work. And the increased medical costs of so many people getting sick at the same time. And the additional money it costs taxpayers to pay to treat uninsured people who go to the hospital. And probably some money lost because healthy people are hesitant to go to public places (like stores and restaurants) right now because *they* don’t want to get sick.
But it’s all worth it, because BUSINESS, right guys?
(via stfuconservatives)
