The shift in the economy from union backed industries to the service sector with individual contracts has left unskilled and low wage employees to negotiate benefits in a situation of power asymmetry. Paid sick leave is one of these benefits and it is only granted to 21% of low income Americans. This is the group of Americans who are in most need of access to paid sick leave because they are often single parents, have a higher burden of illness, and they lack the resources to outsource the necessary care for sick children. In order to build a just society, one that treats all people with dignity and seeks to promote human flourishing through productive employment, healthy families, and healthy communities, the disparities between the upper and lower classes, with regard to paid sick leave must be addressed. Improvement in individual, familial and population health outcomes will improve the economic and social wellbeing of all members of society. Furthermore, the improvement of working conditions can lead to improved educational outcomes for children and to improved employment outcomes for individuals giving poor and marginalised people an opportunity to break the cycle of poverty and disadvantage. The report recommends particular policy requirements, all of which are covered by the HFA that is currently before the United States Congress. In the new economy where great discrepancies in paid leave exist and the market is failing to address them, the government is needed to ensure a minimum level of employee protection. Paid sick leave together with paid family leave and other employee protections have the potential to strengthen the middle class and to give a hand up to the lower class to create a more robust and stable country. In the interest of employees and families in the United States a job-protected paid leave policy should be adopted in the form of the Healthy Families Act.
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