In his commentary on paid sick days, Rep. Don Turner cited findings from the Joint Fiscal Office’s analysis of the impact of establishing a minimum standard of paid sick days for working Vermonters.

This commentary is by Michelle Fay, who is director of the Vermont Paid Sick Days Campaign and a former state representative from St. Johnsbury.

Advocates and lawmakers are hoping the House version of an earned sick-time bill will sway skeptics and tip the scales in their favor.

For the third consecutive year, lawmakers at the Statehouse are considering a proposal to require that virtually every job in Vermont come with sick leave benefits – or some other form of paid time off.

Ashley Moore worked twenty to 30 hours a week in restaurants to pay her way through the University of Vermont before graduating in May.

When Tara Scribner is sick, she can take the day off and not worry about it affecting her income.

In Vermont, we both celebrate the protections that the Family and Medical Leave Act provides and recognize that the law doesn’t go far enough.

At Hen of the Wood, we call ourselves the Hen Family. That’s not just a figure of speech — we’re serious about building a business that supports everyone who helps make it successful.

Gov. Peter Shumlin won’t say yet whether he’ll support passage of a paid sick days bill that could become a cornerstone of the progressive agenda in Montpelier next year.

Read the op-ed published in the Rutland Herald

H.382 was introduced in 2009 and was referred to the Committee on General, Housing and Military Affairs. The bill is sponsored by Rep. Sarah Edwards (P-Brattleboro) , Rep. Paul Poirier  (I-Barre), and Rep. Michael Fisher (D-Lincoln). If H.382 became law:

It seems like a relatively simple thing. If you get sick, you shouldn’t have to choose between safeguarding your health or getting paid.

“Hard working Vermonters shouldn’t have to choose between being healthy and getting a paycheck,”