Howard Brown Health Congratulates Women Employed for Earned Sick Leave Ordinance

Tell City Council to Make Paid Sick Leave the Law

Howard Brown Health commends Women Employed for leading the Earned Sick Leave Chicago coalition, which scored a major win last week in persuading members of City Council’s Committee on Workforce and Audit to adopt a draft Sick Leave ordinance unanimously. The full Chicago City Council will consider the measure this Wednesday, June 22.

For too many patients at Howard Brown, attending to their healthcare appointments can cost them their job or certainly cut into their wages. This is why Howard Brown urges Chicago’s City Council to ratify the draft ordinance immediately. If passed, the ordinance will require almost all Chicago employers to offer their employees at least one hour of paid sick leave for every forty hours worked.

Currently, over a third of low-wage workers do not have access to paid sick leave, which means they must choose between their health or income. Paid leave will promote healthier and more productive employees and help reduce common colds and infections in the workplace. The proposed changes are expected to increase business labor costs by less than 1.5% while making a remarkable difference for Chicago employees who are not already guaranteed sick leave.

“Every Chicago employee deserves the ability to recover from an illness or care for a loved one without jeopardizing their livelihood,” said David Ernesto Munar, President and CEO of Howard Brown Health. “Howard Brown Health is committed to making healthcare affordable and accessible. This measure would allow more of our patients to access the services that they need without sacrificing their paycheck or job security. It’s good for our patients and it’s good for public health.”

Learn more about the draft ordinance and urge your Alderman to lend support for the measure by taking actions here.