This week, the Jewish Center for Justice joined over 110 social justice organizations in sending a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom urging him to take immediate action to expand emergency paid sick days and to protect California’s families.
The letter begins:
On January 1, 2021, millions of workers across the state lost access to paid sick days. In December, President Trump signed a $900 billion pandemic relief bill, which includes funding for employers to provide Paid Sick Days and Paid Family and Medical Leave, but notably excluded the right for workers to actually take the paid time off when they need it. As a result, many workers who have been exposed to COVID-19 or believe they have COVID-19 will have to choose between staying home, losing their pay, and risking being fired, or going to work and potentially infecting their coworkers and community. Workers will be forced to face this impossible choice at the same moment that COVID-19 cases are surging across the country and hospitals across the state have reached 0% ICU capacity. At the same time, California employers who choose not to provide paid time off will leave millions of dollars in federal funding on the table, when it should be going to workers who need the time off and who will put the money back into the state’s economy.
JCJ is proud to join so many organizations in this urgent request to provide support to those who are most vulnerable. Let’s continue to protect our fellow citizens and community members during this ongoing pandemic.