STATEMENT: ROC United's Saru Jayaraman Responds to Passage of California's Paid Sick Day Bill and its Exclusion of Domestic Workers

Following the California legislature's passage of statewide paid sick days last Friday, Saru Jayaraman, co-founder and co-director of ROC United, issued the following statement:

"The passage of this bill means that millions of restaurant workers in California will no longer live in fear of being forced to work while sick or losing their job, instead of staying home to care for themselves or families. The restaurant industry is one of the sectors in which this policy is needed most, as 90% of restaurant workers surveyed nationally report not having paid sick days, and more than 60% report having to cook, prepare, and serve food to millions of restaurant goers while sick. California has finally joined the nine cities that have already enacted similar policies, but such momentum to fulfill a fundamental right must continue to grow."

"However, home care workers were not included in the passage of this bill. Like restaurant workers, home care workers are predominantly women -- and they are routinely excluded from paid sick day protections and minimum wage increases. Such an extreme measure is unjust and disrespectful to such a crucial enclave of America's workforce.

"Hopefully the irony is not lost on the California State legislature that as a result of this exclusion, the women whose job it is to care for someone else's families have not been afforded the very basic, protected right to take care of their own."

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