SAN ANTONIO – President Barack Obama is calling on Congress to pass a law that would provide seven days of paid sick leave to all workers.
According to White House Domestic Policy Council Director Cecilia Munoz, more than 3.7 million workers in Texas and 40 million across the nation don't have access to paid sick leave, which is why she says Obama's proposal to provide those seven days a year makes sense.
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"What doctors tell us when you have the flu is that you should be staying home," said Munoz. "What we have is a situation where people feel compelled to go to work. That exposes their coworkers. That exposes customers. It's not going to be their most productive work day. So at the end of the day, it's not just good for workers, it's good for businesses."
However, while Munoz says laws like this are already working in California, those who oppose the president's plan say so far, studies show that mandating paid sick leave hasn't been a tremendous benefit to public health.
"The promise of reduction in workplace illness hasn't really happened," said Michael Saltsman, research director of Employment Policies Institute. "In San Francisco, for instance, you have 3 percent of employers that report illness in the workplace had reduced. The vast majority said there was no change."
Obama is also looking at spending $2 billion to help states develop paid family-leave programs.
The president signed a memorandum Thursday directing federal agencies to allow for up to six weeks of paid sick leave if workers have a child or foster a child.
