MassBudget: Public Health Implications of Earned Paid Sick Time

Another in the series of publications from MassBudget on Earned Paid Sick Time. Until I did the series on the four statewide ballot questions coming up this November, I had not realized this was one of the questions. Duh! Good thing I determine the success of a day by how much I learn!

Earned Paid Sick Time: Supporting Healthy, Thriving Communities Policies that affect the health of individuals also affect the health of the community. MassBudget's new fact sheet Earned Paid Sick Time: Supporting Healthy, Thriving Communities examines the effects on the general public, families, and the workplace when workers who are sick, or caring for a sick child, are required to go to work. In Massachusetts, about 1 in 3 workers do not have earned paid sick time. The rate is higher for those working in jobs that require frequent contact with the public, such as in the service sector. In fact, over half of workers in the service sector, which includes food and child care workers, do not have earned paid sick time. This fact sheet looks at the evidence about the effects on public health when workers don't have paid sick time to address their own health issues or to care for a sick child. To read the fact sheet please click HERE. The Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center (MassBudget) produces policy research, analysis, and data-driven recommendations focused on improving the lives of low- and middle-income children and adults, strengthening our state's economy, and enhancing the quality of life in Massachusetts. MASSACHUSETTS BUDGET AND POLICY CENTER 15 COURT SQUARE, SUITE 700 BOSTON, MA 02108

Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center | 15 Court Square | Suite 700 | Boston | MA | 02108

MassBudget: New Census Data: US & MA Households See Few Gains during Recovery

US & MA Households See Few Gains during Recovery, New Census Data Show Today's census report shows that our nation's economic recovery is not yet substantially expanding economic opportunity for working people and families across the nation and in Massachusetts. Median incomes have barely budged and poverty remains stubbornly high. For more, read MassBudget's new factsheet, available HERE. Today's report indicates that the median household income in Massachusetts was $66,768 in 2013.That's higher than the national median of $52,250, but is 5.6 percent (or $3,990) below the previous state high (in 2008). As in the rest of the nation, in Massachusetts incomes declined significantly in the wake of the Great Recession and have barely begun to grow again. Equally disturbing, real median incomes across the nation showed almost no growth over the business cycle (from 2000-2007) prior to the recent recession (average real annual increases were less than one quarter of one percent per year). With incomes down since the start of the recession, poverty has increased. In Massachusetts, more than one in nine people overall lived in poverty in 2013 and almost one in six children did so. As with incomes, that's better than the nation overall, but worse than our Commonwealth had done before the recession. Overall poverty is up 2.0 percentage points since 2007 and child poverty is up 3.4 percentage points. The economic challenges facing the nation and Massachusetts include both finding ways to strengthen the economy and making sure that economic progress translates into increased incomes, better working conditions, and reduced poverty in all communities in our Commonwealth. Click HERE to read the factsheet MASSACHUSETTS BUDGET AND POLICY CENTER 15 COURT SQUARE, SUITE 700 BOSTON, MA 02108 The Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center (MassBudget) produces policy research, analysis, and data-driven recommendations focused on improving the lives of low- and middle-income children and adults, strengthening our state's economy, and enhancing the quality of life in Massachusetts.

Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center | 15 Court Square | Suite 700 | Boston | MA | 02108

New MassBudget factsheet: Balancing Work and Family

BALANCING WORK AND FAMILY: The Economic Effects of Earned Paid Sick Time To build a life of economic security for themselves and their families, people need to be productive at work and meet their responsibilities to their families. "Balancing Work and Family: The Economic Effects of Earned Paid Sick Time" examines how providing paid sick time affects working people, their families, and the broader economy. Most children now live in families where all parents work. The share of children with a nonworking parent declined from 64 percent in 1967 to 34 percent in 2009. Yet our employment policies often don't reflect the challenges faced by working parents. Earned paid sick time provides one useful support by allowing workers to earn paid time off to address a health issue or care for a family member in need. Most higher-paid employees already have this benefit. But one in three Massachusetts workers doesn't, including more than half of low wage workers.  Click HERE to read the factsheet. MASSACHUSETTS BUDGET AND POLICY CENTER 15 COURT SQUARE, SUITE 700 BOSTON, MA 02108 The Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center (MassBudget) produces policy research, analysis, and data-driven recommendations focused on improving the lives of low- and middle-income children and adults, strengthening our state's economy, and enhancing the quality of life in Massachusetts.

Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center | 15 Court Square | Suite 700 | Boston | MA | 02108

KidsCount: FAQ - Earned Paid Sick Time

EARNED PAID SICK TIME: Frequently Asked Questions A state economy works best for everyone when working people can balance work, family, and life's challenges. Over the past several years a number of cities, and one state, have enacted laws that allow workers to take time off if they are ill or need to care for a sick family member. Without these laws, workers can generally be fired if they miss work because they are sick. Earned Paid Sick Time - Frequently Asked Questions describes how many workers currently have no access to earned paid sick time, what kinds of jobs these workers have, and how these laws work.        The Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center (MassBudget) produces policy research, analysis, and data-driven recommendations focused on improving the lives of low- and middle-income children and adults, strengthening our state's economy, and enhancing the quality of life in Massachusetts. MASSACHUSETTS BUDGET AND POLICY CENTER 15 COURT SQUARE, SUITE 700 BOSTON, MA 02108

Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center | 15 Court Square | Suite 700 | Boston | MA | 02108