About the Campaign
The Maine Women's Lobby is partnering with the Maine Work and Family Coalition to advance a paid sick days bill. The bill would guarantee workers at larger businesses up to about six paid sick days per year, while workers at smaller businesses could earn approximately three paid sick days per year. The earned paid sick time could be used for routine illness, to care for a family member during a public health emergency, to receive preventive care, or to used in relation to domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking.
For more information, visit www.mainewomen.org.
Partner Profile
For more than 30 years, the Maine Women’s Lobby has represented women’s voices at the legislature on the core issues of economic security, health care and reproductive rights, civil rights, and freedom from violence. The Maine Work and Family Coalition currently includes 35 partner organizations from around the state dedicated to passing a paid sick days standard.
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Stories from Maine
“I worked as a nurse for many years as a single mom and one of my jobs was to replace people who called in sick. I was expected to threaten and ridicule anyone who said they were to sick to work with the frail elderly patients. I also was mandated to tell everyone they must being in a doctors note if they insisted on taking time off. I came into work many days too sick to work because I had bills to pay even if I was sick. When I started out in nursing many years ago we had sick pay but over the years we lost so many of our benefits that when I had to have cancer surgery I was told to apply for state disability and do not expect your job back. When I came back to work 3 weeks later I had no set schedule or even shift and no guarantee of how many days I could work. I was made to feel like I had deliberately hurt the company and that I needed to rethink my priorities after having cancer.”
— Sheila, Waterville, Maine
“I work for a nationally recognized company and we get no sick days. Recently I came down with the horrible flu that masqueraded itself as a bad cold. I was in bed for four days and out of work for two. Two days worth of pay resulted in a decrease of $250 from my paycheck. It did result in very limited grocery shopping. My two week paycheck was $398 (insurance costs me over $200 every two weeks.) Had I had sick days, I would have been able to do grocery shopping this weekend.”
— Velma, Windham, Maine
“I am a single mother working to support myself and my 2 children. They both have asthma and one month they both came down very sick and I missed 5 days of work in 4 weeks time and lost a weeks pay because I don't have sick time. I fell behind on my bills and it was a struggle. Please support paid sick days for employees who work so hard to make it in a tough economical world we live in today. Thank you.”
— Stacey, Portland, Maine
“Like many young children, my son, Jacob, suffered from numerous ear infections when he was young. One day, while working at a local furniture store, I got a call from his daycare. Jacob, who was two at the time, was running a fever and needed to be picked up. I couldn't leave. I called my husband, Shawn, in need of help. Shawn did not have any paid sick days. As a family, we could not afford for him to take the day off from work. There was no choice but to take Jacob to work with him. At the time, Shawn worked in a restaurant. He tried to make Jacob as comfortable as possible until I could get there to pick him up. Jacob slept in one of the restaurants' back booths. By the time I got there, he was running a fever of 102 and needed to be taken to the emergency room.
Because Shawn didn't have any paid sick days, my son paid the price—he got much sicker. No one should have to put their job at risk to care for their child. When workers have access to paid sick days everyone benefits—business owners, employees, mothers, fathers, and especially children.”
— Christina, Hallowell, Maine
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