California supplemental paid sick leave coverage.

Calling all colleagues and union members!

As you are aware, many of you have had to use your own time when you have been exposed to COVID.  With the Omicron variant rapidly spreading, we are anticipating more and more people will need to take time off for themselves and/or their families.  Therefore, together with other labor unions, we are mobilizing to lobby Governor Newsom to reinstate the law mandating paid time off to anyone who needs to quarantine for Covid or assist a dependent when they are exposed.  

We are asking for everyone’s help in petitioning statewide leadership; the local is asking that each and every one of us contact the Governor and his staff using the information below.  To facilitate your participation in this endeavor we have prepared instructions and a message that you can simply copy and paste into the comments section on the Governor’s webpage.  

Share this with any other persons who wish to help reinstate the California supplemental paid sick leave coverage.  

In solidarity, 

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Instructions on how to Contact Governor Newsom

Go to:  https://govapps.gov.ca.gov/gov40mail/

Select "Have Comment"

Select “COVID-19” in “Please choose your subject:”

Select “Continue”; Select “Pro”

[You may write your own comment about the need for reinstating the California emergency paid sick leave for COVID related matters or use what is written below.]

California is presently experiencing a spike in the new highly transmissible Omicron variant of COVID-19. As of January 13^th, the California daily rate of new cases is 79,610 persons; the test positivity is 23% and still climbing. Although this variant may be milder than the Lambda and Delta versions, it has a level of contagious spread that will soon affect most, if not all of California’s citizens. The death rate is at a daily average of 46 souls. 

We are urging the Governor to reinstate the California supplemental COVID-19 paid leave benefits as soon as is practicable. The present strain of COVID is quickly creating rampant absenteeism that in the best scenarios is a week to ten days, and in the worst cases could be hospitalizations and being out of the workforce for upwards of a month. This is causing undue stress on families that are already under strain and suffering economic hardships. The more support given to working people now, the faster and easier it will be for them to return to providing the goods and services California needs.

For those of us who work in the court system, particularly those of us who provide language access, the high rate of absenteeism will negatively impact the citizenry’s ability to access justice. Justice delayed, is justice denied … reinstating the bank of California supplemental paid sick leave could be one of the many pieces that come together to form part of a solution to this COVID-19 crisis. Please reinstate the supplemental paid leave now!