ORLANDO, Fla. - President Obama called for it in his State of the Union address last month, and now there's legislation in Congress to help the 43 million American workers who can't earn time off for sick days.

The Healthy Families Act would establish a national standard for paid sick leave. Proponents of the law in Florida say the state's tourism-based economy could especially benefit.

Judy Neufeld, women's program director for the Orlando-based Florida Institute of Reform and Empowerment, said thousands of workers - and millions of tourists - could be affected.

"We have people coming to Orlando and Orange County from all over the world, every single day," she said. "Whether they are visiting the theme parks or coming for conventions or conferences, they're being exposed to all kinds of illnesses if our workers are going to work sick because they don't have access to earned sick time."

Florida, however, is one of 11 states that have taken action to prevent local governments from enacting their own laws regarding earned sick time.

Neufeld said Florida leaders took the pre-emptive action a year before voters in the Orlando area went to the polls in what turned out to a nonbinding - but telling - local referendum.

"It was actually on the ballot in Orange County last year, and voters overwhelmingly passed earned sick time - over 63 percent of the vote - in August of 2014," she said. "So, we know there's demand and interest and need across the state."

Recent polls indicate that the idea is gaining popularity nationally. According to a survey by the Public Religion Research Institute, 81 percent of respondents favor sick-leave legislation called for by President Obama and now being debated in Congress.

More information is online at firedupflorida.org. The report by Public Religion Research Institute is at publicreligion.org.


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As Republicans in Washington continue to negotiate provisions in President Donald Trump's "big, beautiful" bill, a recent report from the Joint Economic Committee shows more than 300,000 Arizonans would lose health-insurance coverage if it were to become law.

Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz. said as lawmakers continue to examine how they want to reduce federal spending and cover the costs for tax breaks, "red tape" in the form of work requirements is being heavily entertained.

In Kelly's view, that would be a challenge for folks who may be facing health complications that impede their ability to work.

"It is hard to hold a steady job if you are too sick to work," Kelly explained. "I've met folks in this situation as I've done these Medicaid town halls, and according to this bill you won't be able to get insurance to see the doctor if you do not have a steady job."

Recent polling from KFF found that about six in ten adults support work requirements for Medicaid. But that figure drops to 32% when respondents find out that most Medicaid recipients are already working and could lose coverage because of the burden of proving eligibility through paperwork.

If the bill passes the House, it will go to the Senate.

Janey Pearl Starks, community impact officer with Mountain Park Health Center, a nonprofit community health organization based in Phoenix, said they serve about 115,000 people. About 70,000 of them count on Medicaid, or 'AHCCCS,' in Arizona. She explained that while Medicaid cuts have been talked about at the national level, some Arizonans may not realize 'AHCCCS' is on the chopping block.

"Medicaid equals AHCCCS. And if AHCCCS gets cut, it is something that would harm the most vulnerable, the elderly, our children, folks with disabilities, folks with long-term care issues, and that is something that our patients who know about it are definitely concerned," she said.

Starks added if cuts are made, she fears many Arizonans could delay receiving care or put it off all together, which she warned could push Arizona families to the brink and put lives at risk.

More than 5,000 workers died from traumatic injuries while on the job in 2023, and 135,000 more died from occupational diseases, according to a new report by the AFL-CIO.

Maryland had the fourth lowest number of workplace deaths, with 69 workers dying on the job. But the report also noted that attacks on regulations could worsen the problem in the future.

An executive order by President Donald Trump requires any federal agency to rescind 10 regulations before a new one can be issued.

That includes federal agencies like the Occupational Health and Safety Administration, or OSHA.

Ray Baker, Maryland director of the Baltimore-D.C. Building Trades Council, explained that construction work can be dangerous and federal regulations from agencies like OSHA are necessary for the health and safety of workers on the job site.

"Federal worker protections are vital for all workers, specifically those in the construction trades," said Baker. "The work that we do is so highly skilled and there is such a potential or chance for danger or harm."

The Trump administration has defended its executive order as a way to stop what it calls a "regulatory blitz" from the previous administration, claiming that deregulation will create jobs and stop inflation.

Trump has also fired workers at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the nation's only worker safety research agency.

In past years, the agency has been tasked with investigating safety concerns at factories and facilities around the country.

Baker said many union contracts offer guarantees on worker safety, but he said he worries that federal oversight of those contracts is weakening.

"If these organizations or institutions are not adequately staffed - if they do not have the resources, the attention, the time, and the money necessary to be able to put in place and enforce mechanisms that keep workers safe," said Baker, "I am very, very concerned what that could mean for a host of workers in the construction industry."

The lives of more than 700,000 workers have been saved due to regulations from the Occupational Health and Safety Act, which created OSHA, according to the report.




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Corrections officers and their supporters are rallying in Lansing today, urging lawmakers to stop stalling and act on bills to give them the same pension benefits as state police.

Under the legislation, corrections officers would move from a 401(k)-only plan to a hybrid pension system shared with state police, a step aimed at improving hiring and retention in the Corrections Department.

Byron Osborn, president of the Michigan Corrections Organization, said he questions the integrity of the legislative process and is frustrated the bills passed both chambers with bipartisan support last year but are still being withheld from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's desk.

"We believe 100% that this was an orchestration of sorts," Osborn contended. "We don't know who orchestrated it, or why. But the fact remains that nobody has offered up any reason as to why these bills still have not been sent to the governor."

Osborn noted the Senate filed a lawsuit against the House for not sending the bills to the governor and they are awaiting a Michigan Court of Appeals date. Meanwhile, Rep. Matt Hall, R-Richland Township, the Speaker of the House, said he is seeking a legal review before advancing bills passed in the previous session.

Osborn emphasized Michigan's corrections system has faced a staffing crisis for almost a decade and his organization has spent years working with lawmakers to fix the retirement plan for their officers. He warned the delay in passing the pension bills is hurting their recruitment efforts.

"We've got a number of our facilities running anywhere from 25% to 35% short, which as you can imagine is causing just a ton of mandatory overtime," Osborn pointed out. "It's causing more and more people to resign and find other jobs because they just can't keep up the pace and it's dangerous."

As of early this year, data showed the Michigan Department of Corrections had more than 2,200 job vacancies, including nearly a thousand corrections officer positions. The staffing shortage drove overtime costs to almost $120 million in fiscal year 2024.


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