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REVISED SUBSTITUTE TO FILE ID: 16-4229
ESTABLISHING EARNED SICK LEAVE FOR EMPLOYEES IN COOK COUNTY
WHEREAS, the County of Cook is a home rule unit of government pursuant to the 1970 Illinois Constitution, Article VII, Section 6 (a); and,
WHEREAS, pursuant to their home rule powers, the Cook County Commissioners may exercise any power and perform any function relating to their governments and affairs, including the power to regulate for the protection of the public health, safety, morals, and welfare; and,
WHEREAS, employees in every industry occasionally require time away from the workplace to tend to their own health or the health of family members; and,
WHEREAS, in Cook County approximately 40 percent, or 840,000, private sector workers receive no paid sick leave; and,
WHEREAS, earned sick leave has a positive effect on the health of not only employees and their family members, but also the health of fellow workers and public at large and the most comprehensive national survey of U.S. restaurant workers found that two-thirds of restaurant wait staff and cooks have come to work sick; and,
WHEREAS, earned sick leave reduces healthcare expenditures by promoting access to primary and preventative care and reduces reliance on emergency care; and,
WHEREAS, nationally providing all workers with earned sick leave would result in $1.1 billion in annual savings in hospital emergency department costs; and,
WHEREAS, nearly one in four American women report domestic violence by an intimate partner, nearly one in five women have been raped, and nearly one in six women have been stalked. Many workers, men and women, need time off to care for themselves after these incidents, or to find solutions, such as protective orders or new housing, to avoid or prevent further domestic or sexual violence. Without paid time off, employees are in grave danger of losing their jobs, which can be devastating when victims need economic security to ensure their own safety an...
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