“Today, we’re the only advanced country on Earth that doesn’t guarantee paid sick leave or paid maternity leave to our workers. Forty-three million workers have no paid sick leave. …Think about that. And that forces too many parents to make the gut-wrenching choice between a paycheck and a sick kid at home.”

One million of those workers are right here in Minnesota. In fact, in Southern St. Louis County, less than half of workers can earn paid sick time, the worst percentage in the state, according to a recent study conducted by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research.

Tiffany McDonald knows these realities too well. She came to our office at TakeAction because she had to make the choice between a paycheck and caring for her child. She worked three part-time jobs to keep the family afloat. None of the jobs offered paid sick time, which was a challenge when any of her children, or she, was sick. She even got behind on her well-child visits and immunizations because the clinic was never open after work hours and she couldn’t afford to take the time off from work. As any parent can imagine, these choices are indeed gut-wrenching…