By Jason Coates, Public Policy Associate

The National Hispanic Council on Aging (NHCOA) supports paid sick days and paid family and medical leave.  These policies support the economic security of families and low wage workers, can help improve public health, and allow working people care for their loved ones.  They appeal to a wide variety of groups – low- and middle-income earners, people in multigenerational households, seniors, and people with disabilities.  The wide reach of these programs means that a diverse coalition can make them law across the country.  The Family and Medical Leave Act and the Affordable Care Act both passed with the support of large and diverse coalitions, and paid sick days and paid family and medical leave laws will need such support as well.

Paid sick days and paid family and medical leave are important for Hispanic communities because the longer than average hours of caregiving they provide take a negative toll on their economic security.  In 2008, 36% of Hispanic households had at least one caregiver.  While the average caregiver in the U.S. spends 31 hours each week providing care, Hispanic caregivers spend 37 hours providing assistance.   In fact, Hispanic caregivers are far more likely to have had to make a major change to their work situation by reducing hours, changing jobs, or stopping work entirely.  Overall, Hispanic households lose wages and economic security from caregiving.  Paid sick days and paid family and medical leave policies would be especially beneficial to Hispanics.

Older adults, both those in the workforce and out, would benefit from the public health and family friendly aspects of paid sick days and paid family and medical leave.  More than one-in-three workers lack paid sick days, and they put the public at risk when they go to work sick.  Older adults are at especially high risk, as the immune system tends to weaken with age.  Working seniors would also benefit from the ability to take time off to care for a spouse with a serious medical condition or to recover from their own serious illness.

Advocates for women and working families are already strong supporters of paid sick days and paid family and medical leave policies, but a larger, more diverse coalition is needed.  Organizations representing Hispanics, family caregivers, and seniors should join the effort to pass federal paid sick and family and medical leave laws.  By providing a diverse perspective, new groups can make these policies appealing to a larger number of people, thus increasing their probability of becoming law.