With H1N1 outbreaks still at crisis levels...

Washington, DC - Today, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) launched a petition calling out the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for its "unconscionable" opposition to paid sick leave in light of this year's H1N1 epidemic. The US Chamber, who has recently come under fire and suffered high-profile defections for its extreme stance on climate change, opposes all forms of the paid sick leave legislation being debated in Congress.

Said Secretary-Treasurer Anna Burger, "Anyone who thinks it's a good idea to force someone battling H1N1 to come to work either couldn't care less about the well-being of his employees, or couldn't know less about the way disease and infection spreads.

"What makes the Chamber's opposition to this legislation especially deplorable is that, when you're struggling to make ends meet, you're going to do everything possible to not miss a day's pay," said Burger. "Their extreme stance on paid sick leave is unsafe, unhealthy and unconscionable."

SEIU's online petition calls on the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to cease lobbying against a common sense solution to keep our workplaces safe and healthy while America is in the middle of a record-breaking flu pandemic. The petition can be found online at action.seiu.org/chamber.

Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-CT), Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D - CT) and Rep. George Miller (D-CA) have introduced legislation to provide American families with paid sick days to help prevent an H1N1outbreak. The bills are designed to minimize the spread of H1N1 and give workers the chance to stay home when they, their parents or their children are sick so they do not have to choose between losing their job and contributing to the spread of a pandemic flu.

Chamber Vice President Randel K. Johnson recently stated that they oppose paid sick leave because "the vast majority of employers provide paid leave of some sort." The fact is that more than one-third of all workers DO NOT get paid sick leave, especially workers at high risk of infection, like school cafeteria workers, janitors and home care workers, who cannot telecommute or make up missed hours in future weeks.

With 2.1 million members in Canada, the United States and Puerto Rico, SEIU is the fastest-growing union in the Americas. Focused on uniting workers in healthcare, public services and property services, SEIU members are winning better wages, healthcare and more secure jobs for our communities, while uniting their strength with their counterparts around the world to help ensure that workers--not just corporations and CEOs--benefit from today's global economy.

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