To: The Oregon State Senate

Tell Oregon Legislators: We need paid sick time for ALL Oregon workers!

Dear Oregon State Legislator,

I think ALL workers in our state deserve the time to recover when they’re ill—and the time to care for a sick family member, too. That’s the kind of state Oregon is—one where people have basic rights at work that help them provide and care for themselves and their families.

But right now, 47% of private-sector workers in Oregon (outside of Portland and Eugene) don't have access to a single paid sick day where they work, and a whopping 83% of food service workers across Oregon don’t either—even though handling food is one of the fastest ways to spread illness. That's not equitable or healthy and it's bad for business.

And when you compare access to paid sick days across the income spectrum, the inequality is alarming: 82% of Oregonians who earn more than $65,000 have access to paid sick time, while just 29% of those earning under $20,000 do. Talk about income inequality!

Please address this solvable problem by supporting a statewide paid sick days law (SB 454). The truth is: when workers have access to paid sick time, everybody benefits.

Sincerely,

Why is this important?

Tell the Oregon Legislature: We need paid sick time now!

Everybody gets sick from time to time. But not everyone has the time it takes to recover.

Right now nearly half (47%) of Oregon's private-sector workforce don't have the right to take even one day off when they or a family member is ill (that's 473,000 Oregonians without a single paid sick day—more people than the entire population of Eugene, Salem, Bend and Medford combined!). That’s not healthy for them, their workplaces, their families, their schools—or the people they serve. When workers earn sick time, everybody benefits.

Take action today to let your state representatives know that you believe ALL workers in Oregon should have the opportunity to earn paid sick time off while they work.