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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends staying home from work or school as a precautionary measure for dealing with the swine flu outbreak. This is just common sense: People who are sick should limit their contact with others. Yet for millions of New Jersey residents, taking this simple step to protect themselves and the public health could lead to lost wages and disci plinary action at work or even the loss of one's job.
Making sure those who are sick can stay home, or keep their children home, is exactly why we need to guarantee a minimum number of paid sick days to every worker. We need this now, before the country faces a pandemic.
We urge Congress to take action on the Healthy Families Act and for employers to assure workers that they will not be punished for following the guidelines from our nation's health experts.
— EV LIEBMAN, Camden
The writer is director of organizing and advocacy for New Jersey Citizen Action, a founding member of the NJ Time to Care Coalition.
Copyright 2009 The Times of Trenton