Paid Sick Days:Why We’re Winning

Ellen BravoEARN Conference

September 13, 2011

Growing Momentum• One win: a fluke/a local story/the start!• Two wins: a problem/call me when there’s a third/on our way!• Three: a conspiracy/a trend/a successful movement!

What We’ve Won

2006, San Francisco 2007, DC 2008, Milwaukee 2011: Connecticut,

Philadelphia, Seattle, soon Denver

2012: Massachusetts, New York City and more!Campaigns in more than a dozen other cities and states.

How We’re Winning

We Are Engaging Workers

Involving affected workers in every aspect of our campaigns.

How We’re Winning

We Are Building Partners

GA: Easter Seals, PTA, GA Developmental Disabilities Council

IL: Access Living, Breast Cancer Network, AIDS Foundation, Protestants for Common Good, Academy of Pediatricians, YWCA

NY: Make the Road, Domestic Workers United, ROC, Working Families Party

MA: SEIU, school nurses, low-income housing developers, NE United 4 Justice

National: Mothers’ Day trip to Phoenix

Deepening work with labor, small business, immigrants, women’s groups

Examples include:

How We’re Winnng

We Are Breaking Identity Theft

Jim Houser, OregonOwner, Hawthorne Auto Clinic

“As a result of our wage and benefit package, including paid sick days, 8 of our 9 full-time employees have an average tenure of over 18 years at Hawthorne Auto Clinic.”

How We’re Winning

Finding Legislative Champions

Being savvy in targeting.Making support visible.Neutralizing where

necessary.Showing voters paying

attention.

How We’re Winning

We Are Building Power• Raising resources (and

targeting).• Connecting groups with each

other (sharing strategies, tips, lessons, networks)

• Connecting grassroots with national partners (maximizing research, engagement)

How We’re Winning

We Are Taking Action!

• Creative.• Targeted.• Newsworthy.• Involving workers

and other coalition partners.

How We’re Winning

Using Clear Messages Rooted in Values• No one should have to choose between the job they need

and the family they love.• Everyone gets sick – not everyone has the right to get well.• You don’t want to be served flu with your food.• Bad times are the worst time to lose a job because of caring

for a sick child.• Policies that value families are good for the bottom line.

How We’re Winning

Using New Media Tools

• Working Families Story Bank – audio and photos. http://www.workingfamiliesstories.org/

• Using multiple languages.• Social networking.

Contagion: Not Just a Movie

How We’re Winning

Demonstrating Real Needs

• Our organizing, research, polling demonstrate a need for new minimum standards.

• Workers have identified paid sick days as a modest solution with a major impact.

How We’re Winning

Demonstrating Good for Business• Cost of replacement: 150% for

salaried, $5500 even for $8/hr workers

• Reports on San Francisco.

• Not a favor to women: cuts turnover, presenteeism, health costs; improves quality and productivity.

• Using poll numbers on paid sick days:

How We’re Winning

Demonstrating Public Support

City Rep.s Independents Dems

Denver 58% 65% 73%

New York City 75% 88% 93%

Philadelphia 64% 72%

Connecticut 61% 70% 87%

• We’re building more than immediate reforms.• Building movements, connections, power, capacity.

• We’re building a world of justice and honor, for working families, and for us all.

Building The World We Deserve:In for the long haul