this is from a New York Times article

Lack of Paid Sick Days May Worsen Flu Pandemic
By STEVEN GREENHOUSE

"....Tens of millions of people, or about 40 percent of all private-sector workers, do not receive paid sick days, and as a result many of them cannot afford to stay home when they are ill. Even some companies that provide paid sick days have policies that make it difficult to call in sick, like giving demerits each time someone misses a day.

Public health experts say policies like these encourage many people with H1N1, commonly called swine flu, to report to work despite official warnings from the government and most companies that they should stay home."

AREN'T WE LUCKY WE ARE IN A UNION where we've bargained for sick time and rules about being allowed to use it without being punished for it!! If you are sick with H1N1 use this great benefit and go home and take care of yourself and in the process you'll be taking care of your fellow workers.

For those of you who have little or no sick time left, (this can happen from a whole wide set of legitimate reasons) Donna is working with the Administration to try and adopt some policies to help you out as well. She'll keep us posted for sure.

People seem to be dropping like flies...and if they aren't dropping they're coughing!!! I'm going to wrap myself in a plastic bubble until next Spring....

As I re-read this post I was reminded of an email I got from Jim Plaza last week on a gallop poll.

"Labor Unions See Sharp Slide in U.S. Public Support
September 3, 2009
This Labor Day season marks the first time that fewer than half of Americans (48%) approve of labor unions. While two-thirds of Americans (66%) believe unions help their own members, 51% say they hurt the U.S. economy -- up from 36% last year."

I can't help but think that media's portrayal of union workers in the car industry is the cause of this. Somehow there's so much sympathy for corporate entities under the guise of "free enterprise" even by workers but when it comes to us, those same workers making a decent salary, good vacation and sick time, we're being greedy. How can we turn that around when we don't even support ourselves!