On Mother’s Day weekend, workers and worker’s rights and health leaders in Los Angeles will speak out in support of the Healthy Families, Healthy Workplaces bill (AB 2716), authored by Assemblywoman Fiona Ma, which would allow all California workers to earn paid sick days. Without paid sick days, millions of working mothers in Los Angeles and across the state must either lose wages or go to work sick or send sick children to school or day care.  Councilmember Richard Alarcón (7th District) has introduced a resolution in the Los Angeles City Council supporting the paid sick days legislation. The City Council is expected to act on it this Friday, May 9.

WHEN:

Saturday, May 10, 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

WHERE:

Central City Neighborhood Partners
501 South Bixel St. (Corner of 5th St. & Bixel St.)
Los Angeles, CA 90017

Assemblywoman Fiona Ma (D- San Francisco), author of AB 2716

Liz Torres, CEO, Worksite Wellness LA, works with low-income working mothers who cannot seek preventive or other health care for themselves or their children without paid sick days.  

Manuela Mendez, a mother who works full-time swing shifts at a restaurant chain and has no paid sick days. Because she is struggling to pay the mortgage, she cannot afford to take time off when she's sick because she won’t get paid.

Other workers will share personal stories about how they would benefit from this legislation.

More than two in five California workers have no paid sick days. Going to work sick creates unhealthy workplaces and puts co-workers and customers at risk – but many workers have no choice. The Healthy Families, Healthy Workplaces Act, AB 2716 (Ma) would let workers earn paid sick days that they can use to recover from illness, care for a sick family member, or recover from domestic violence or sexual assault. San Francisco adopted paid sick days in 2006, and the District of Columbia is about to follow.  Paid sick days legislation is pending in Massachusetts and Ohio. For more information, visit www.paidsickdaysCA.org.