Workers' Unhealthy Choice

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)

Every time one of Mario’s children is sick, he has to make a choice: “miss a day of pay or take care of my child.” The fifty-year old chef who worked his way up from dishwasher over the course of a 20-year career gets no sick days at the restaurant in Virginia where he works. And with stagnant wages that haven’t increased since 2003, he can’t afford to take unpaid sick leave. The situation is even worse for waiters at his restaurant who earn just $2.13 per hour, the federal minimum wage for tipped workers. Mario and many of his co-workers come from Central America and are afraid they’ll lose their jobs or get deported if they speak up. “Everyone feels like they have to come in,” when they’re sick, Mario says. “You feel like you cannot miss a day of work unless you are very sick or something really bad happens to your family.”  Though Mario takes extra precautions handling food when working sick, he recognizes the public health threat posed by the situation. “We really need paid sick days so workers do not have to choose between being able to make ends meet or protecting their own health, the health of their families, and the health of customers,” Mario said. While most DC workers are entitled to paid sick days under the Accrued Sick and Safe Leave Act of 2008, tipped workers were exempted from the law. Mario has been organizing with the Restaurant Opportunities Center of DC, which will launch their report "BEHIND THE KITCHEN DOOR: Inequality & Opportunity in Washington, DC’s Thriving Restaurant Industry," next Monday, Feb. 14 at 8:30A at Eatonville Restaurant. Click here for event details and to RSVP.