Paid sick days forum Tuesday in Tacoma

TACOMA — Union members and community supporters in the Tacoma area are urged to attend Healthy Tacoma’s citizens forum on the passage of a city ordinance granting all workers in the city the ability to earn paid sick days. The forum will be at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 9 on the first floor at Tacoma City Hall, 747 Market St.

“Some members of the City Council got the message and are ready to act to get 40,000 Tacoma residents paid sick days,” Healthy Tacoma reports on its website. “But other City Council members are still on the fence and need to hear from us now!”

Seattle and numerous other U.S. cities have passed paid sick days ordinances and the momentum continues to build for making Tacoma the next. Health Tacoma has collected nearly 2,000 postcards from Tacoma residents who want the City Council to approve this ordinance.

Nearly 4o,000 breadwinners in Tacoma — or 2 in 5 workers — have no access to paid sick leave. Healthy Tacoma and its supporters say that ensuring every worker in the city can earn paid sick days will improve the community’s economic security, public health and business productivity. It will help:

• Build family economic security by ensuring workers can care for their health needs without losing a day’s wages or even their job.

• Protect public health by encouraging sick workers and children to stay home, away from co-workers, school, and customers.

• Lower health care costs by enabling workers to seek preventative care and early treatment for themselves, their children, and elderly parents.

• Create healthier workplaces, and more productive and profitable businesses by limiting the spread of disease, reducing the potential for workplace accidents, and boosting employee productivity, morale and commitment.

For more information, visit the Healthy Tacoma website.