The number of working people in Connecticut without any paid sick days is astonishing. And it comes with a cost -- not just to those workers, but to their families, to businesses, to public health, to seniors, and to children.

Who stands to benefits from Paid Sick Days? Everybody benefits.

Families

People need to be able to take care of their families. But when children get sick, if their parents don't have sick days to stay home and care for their child, the child is more likely to end up at school. The child will not recover as quickly, and will risk infecting other children. Similarly, more and more families are caring for an elderly parents. People need to be able to take care of their ailing parents without worrying about missing pay or losing their jobs.

Public Health

Many workers who interact with the public frequently are even less likely to have paid sick days. More than three quarters of workers who work in food services and accomodations have no paid sick days. When workers can't stay home to recover, they risk spreading disease to co-workers and customers.

Further, when people in any field get a chance to stay home sick, they're more likely to recover faster, incur less medical costs and receive necessary treatment in a timely manner.

Businesses

More than half of all Human Resources executives say that presenteeism is a problem -- that is, employees coming to work ill, and working with reduced productivity and the possibility of spreading illness around the workplace.

By providing sick days, employers can save money in the long run by reducing turnover, reducing spread of illness and increasing productivity.

Women

Two thirds of low income mothers and one third of middle and high income mothers have reported losing pay because of caring for a sick child. Women are over-represented in many of the jobs that often lack paid sick days, like jobs in the food services or hotel industries.

Children

Children recover from illnesses more quickly when they have a parent around to take care of them. Recovering more slowly may mean the child is at risk of falling behind in school. Further, when parents don't have access to sick days, they may end up post-poning or skipping crucial check-ups or vaccines.

Seniors

More and more seniors are participating in the work force. Seniors are particularly likely to need time off to care for themselves -- and if they can't, the consequences are more likely to be severe.

Many of the cited facts are from the National Partnership for Women and Families. Read more here.