The push is on for state lawmakers to pass the Paid Sick Days bill, which would guarantee Massachusetts workers at least seven days of sick leave per year (to be used for themselves, or to care for a family member).
The bill was recently reported favorably out of the Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development, whose House chair, Springfield state Rep. Cheryl Coakley-Rivera, has been a strong supporter. This week, supporters will meet with lawmakers to begin the next step toward getting the bill made into a law, at a family-friendly coffee/playdate. The event will take place on Wednesday, March 10, from 2 to 2:45 p.m. in the Community Room of Springfield’s Main Library at 220 State St.
The coffee is being sponsored by Coakley-Rivera and organized by MomsRising of the Pioneer Valley (the political arm of the Amherst non-profit MotherWoman). Supporters are urged to call or email their state reps and urge them to attend the event, where they’ll hear first-hand accounts of families affected by the lack of guaranteed sick leave. According to MomsRising, about 40 percent of Massachusetts workers—roughly 1.4 million people—don’t get paid sick days. At best, that could mean they lose income whenever they (or their child) gets sick; at worst, it could mean they end up fired for missing work. Many workers, of course, will opt to show up to work sick, or send their ill child to school or daycare—scenarios that pose larger public health consequences.
Next step for the bill is the House Ways and Means Committee, whose assistant vice chair is Rep. Stephen Kulik (D-Worthington). Other local legislators on the committee are Rep. Michael Kane (D-Holyoke), Rep. Christopher Donelan (D-Orange), Rep. James Welch (D-West Springfield), and Rep. Todd Smola (R-Palmer).
In keeping with MomsRising’s family focus, attendees are invited to bring their kids to the coffee hour. “Kids activities will be provided—and you can return your overdue library books!” organizer Marianne Bullock wrote in a note to supporters.
For more information, or to RSVP to the event, email Bullock at Marianne@momsrising.org.
For more on the bill, check out www.motherwoman.org/political-action or www.masspaidleave.org.
