Should Paid Sick Days Be Mandatory?

By Theresa Tamkins

Take my quiz! You’re out at a restaurant, and you get to choose:
A. Being served by a waitress who’s feeling great.B. Being served by a waitress who was up all night with diarrhea but came to work anyway because she can’t afford to take unpaid sick leave.

If you’re like most people, choice A is a no-brainer. Sick people at work tend to spread illness to other people—maybe even to you.

But 46 million people in the United States don’t get paid sick days, which is about 46% of the private-industry labor force, according to the Associated Press. Those workers are most likely to be at small businesses, working at the low end of the pay scale. Read More