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美国大公司纷纷缩短员工带薪病假

Megan Leonhardt
2022-01-19

缩短带薪病假可能成为一种新趋势,也暴露出美国没有标准病假政策的问题。

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全球爆发新冠疫情已近两年,而且美国的奥密克戎变异毒株感染者数量激增。但在此期间,美国大公司却纷纷缩短了新冠检测呈阳性的员工的带薪病假。

最近CVS和沃博联(Walgreens)也加入其中,限制感染新冠病毒的所有员工的带薪病假。其他采取同样措施的公司包括亚马逊(Amazon)、达美航空(Delta Air Lines)、宜家(Ikea)、克罗格(Kroger)和沃尔玛(Walmart)等。

值得注意的是,CVS和沃博联均对《财富》杂志表示,他们是基于美国疾控中心(CDC)在2021年12月末发布的指导意见缩短了新冠感染者的带薪病假。美国疾控中心之前的指导意见中建议新冠患者隔离10天,在2021年12月末调整为5天,这意味着缩短带薪病假可能成为一种新趋势,也暴露出美国没有标准病假政策的问题。

CVS规定,仅已接种新冠疫苗的员工可以享受带薪休假,其中包含了合理的食宿费用和地方法律规定的其他费用。该公司的一位发言人告诉《财富》杂志:“根据美国疾控中心调整的指导意见,我们目前对符合条件的全职和兼职员工提供五天带薪病假,但各州或城市带薪病假法律规定更长假期的情形除外。”

沃博联将在2月23日之前,为已经接种新冠疫苗和未接种新冠疫苗的员工提供五天带薪新冠病假。2月23日之后,沃博联将仅为已经完成新冠疫苗接种的员工或因为医疗或宗教原因而免于接种新冠疫苗的其他员工提供带薪新冠病假。

最近各大公司缩短带薪病假的动作,再次提醒我们美国缺少联邦带薪休假标准。进步智库新美国(New America)的带薪休假政策高级研究员维基·沙波说:“这种做法不合情理,而且会在工作场所内带来真正的健康风险,还将威胁到前去商店购物的消费者的健康。”

Shift Project的最新报告发现,美国只有约一半按小时计薪的工作者称在工作中能够享受到带薪病假。该机构在2021年秋季对美国工作者进行了调查。只有约45%的新冠感染者享受过带薪病假。

哈佛大学(Harvard University)的公共政策教授、Shift Project的负责人之一丹尼尔·施奈德称:“工作者告诉我们,面对带病工作还是无薪休假,所有人通常只能选择前者。一线工作者应该享受到更好的待遇。”

有十多个州和二十多个城市均要求雇主提供短期带薪病假。据美国预算与政策优先中心(Center on Budget and Policy Priorities)统计,目前有9个州和华盛顿特区通过了长期带薪家庭休假和病假计划,且正处于不同的实施阶段。

民主党的“重建更美好未来”计划(Build Back Better)包括为美国劳动者提供四周带薪家庭休假和病假,但这一条不太可能被写入最终法案,而且整个法案在参议院陷入了僵局。美国是唯一一个没有带薪家庭休假计划的工业化国家。

2020年3月,美国国会通过《家庭第一冠状病毒应变法案》(Families First Coronavirus Response Act),其中规定为感染新冠病毒的工作者提供最长两周带薪病假,预计每天为每个州避免了不少于400个病例。但这项联邦法律仅在2020年有效,而且仅限于员工数量不超过500人的雇主。

沙波认为,除非美国规定所有公司无论大小均提供病假,否则美国人依旧将很难享受到他们迫切需要的病假。

施耐德补充道:“公司已经表明了他们不愿意自愿提供有意义的带薪病假[PSL]。美国国会必须采取行动,确保工作者享受到必要的假期。”(财富中文网)

《财富》杂志采访了前20家《财富》美国500强公司,调查了他们目前的新冠带薪病假政策。

翻译:刘进龙

审校:汪皓

全球爆发新冠疫情已近两年,而且美国的奥密克戎变异毒株感染者数量激增。但在此期间,美国大公司却纷纷缩短了新冠检测呈阳性的员工的带薪病假。

最近CVS和沃博联(Walgreens)也加入其中,限制感染新冠病毒的所有员工的带薪病假。其他采取同样措施的公司包括亚马逊(Amazon)、达美航空(Delta Air Lines)、宜家(Ikea)、克罗格(Kroger)和沃尔玛(Walmart)等。

值得注意的是,CVS和沃博联均对《财富》杂志表示,他们是基于美国疾控中心(CDC)在2021年12月末发布的指导意见缩短了新冠感染者的带薪病假。美国疾控中心之前的指导意见中建议新冠患者隔离10天,在2021年12月末调整为5天,这意味着缩短带薪病假可能成为一种新趋势,也暴露出美国没有标准病假政策的问题。

CVS规定,仅已接种新冠疫苗的员工可以享受带薪休假,其中包含了合理的食宿费用和地方法律规定的其他费用。该公司的一位发言人告诉《财富》杂志:“根据美国疾控中心调整的指导意见,我们目前对符合条件的全职和兼职员工提供五天带薪病假,但各州或城市带薪病假法律规定更长假期的情形除外。”

沃博联将在2月23日之前,为已经接种新冠疫苗和未接种新冠疫苗的员工提供五天带薪新冠病假。2月23日之后,沃博联将仅为已经完成新冠疫苗接种的员工或因为医疗或宗教原因而免于接种新冠疫苗的其他员工提供带薪新冠病假。

最近各大公司缩短带薪病假的动作,再次提醒我们美国缺少联邦带薪休假标准。进步智库新美国(New America)的带薪休假政策高级研究员维基·沙波说:“这种做法不合情理,而且会在工作场所内带来真正的健康风险,还将威胁到前去商店购物的消费者的健康。”

Shift Project的最新报告发现,美国只有约一半按小时计薪的工作者称在工作中能够享受到带薪病假。该机构在2021年秋季对美国工作者进行了调查。只有约45%的新冠感染者享受过带薪病假。

哈佛大学(Harvard University)的公共政策教授、Shift Project的负责人之一丹尼尔·施奈德称:“工作者告诉我们,面对带病工作还是无薪休假,所有人通常只能选择前者。一线工作者应该享受到更好的待遇。”

有十多个州和二十多个城市均要求雇主提供短期带薪病假。据美国预算与政策优先中心(Center on Budget and Policy Priorities)统计,目前有9个州和华盛顿特区通过了长期带薪家庭休假和病假计划,且正处于不同的实施阶段。

民主党的“重建更美好未来”计划(Build Back Better)包括为美国劳动者提供四周带薪家庭休假和病假,但这一条不太可能被写入最终法案,而且整个法案在参议院陷入了僵局。美国是唯一一个没有带薪家庭休假计划的工业化国家。

2020年3月,美国国会通过《家庭第一冠状病毒应变法案》(Families First Coronavirus Response Act),其中规定为感染新冠病毒的工作者提供最长两周带薪病假,预计每天为每个州避免了不少于400个病例。但这项联邦法律仅在2020年有效,而且仅限于员工数量不超过500人的雇主。

沙波认为,除非美国规定所有公司无论大小均提供病假,否则美国人依旧将很难享受到他们迫切需要的病假。

施耐德补充道:“公司已经表明了他们不愿意自愿提供有意义的带薪病假[PSL]。美国国会必须采取行动,确保工作者享受到必要的假期。”(财富中文网)

翻译:刘进龙

审校:汪皓

Nearly two full years into the global COVID-19 pandemic, and in the middle of an Omicron surge, major U.S. companies are making moves to reduce paid leave for employees who test positive for COVID-19.

CVS and Walgreens are the latest to join a growing list of major companies that are limiting paid time off for all employees who come down with the virus. They join others like Amazon, Delta Air Lines , Ikea, Kroger, and Walmart.

Notably, CVS and Walgreens both told Fortune that they cut paid COVID sick leave based on the CDC’s late-December guidance that people with COVID isolate for five days, versus their previous guidance that they isolate for 10 days, hinting at a possible new corporate trend, and highlighting the lack of standard sick leave policies in the U.S.

In the case of CVS, that paid leave is available only to employees who are vaccinated, approved for a reasonable accommodation, or otherwise covered by local laws. “In line with changes to CDC guidance, we are currently providing five days of paid leave for eligible full- and part-time colleagues, except where state or city paid leave laws provide for more,” a company spokeswoman told Fortune.

Walgreens will be providing COVID sick leave pay benefits for five days to both vaccinated and unvaccinated team members through Feb. 23. After that, Walgreens will provide COVID pay benefits only to employees who are fully vaccinated or have an otherwise approved medical or religious exemption.

The latest cuts to paid sick leave policies are a reminder that the U.S. does not have a federal standard for paid time off. “It’s unconscionable and a real risk to health within workplaces, as well as the health for the consumers that shop in these stores,” says Vicki Shabo, a senior fellow focusing on paid leave policy at the progressive think tank New America.

Only about half of U.S. hourly workers report having access to paid sick leave at their jobs, according to the latest report from the Shift Project, which surveyed U.S. workers in the fall of 2021. Only about 45% of those who contracted COVID reported having paid sick leave.

“Workers tell us that faced with either working sick or going without pay, all too often they have no choice but to work through illness. These frontline workers deserve better,” says Daniel Schneider, professor of public policy at Harvard University and co-lead of the Shift Project.

More than a dozen states and two dozen cities require employers to provide short-term paid sick time. Currently nine states and Washington, D.C., have passed longer paid family and medical leave programs and are at various stages of implementation, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

The Democrats’ Build Back Better agenda included four weeks of paid family and medical leave for U.S. workers, but the provision was unlikely to make it into the final bill, and now the entire legislative package remains stalled in the Senate. America is the only industrialized nation with no paid family leave program.

In March 2020, Congress passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act—which, among other provisions, provided up to two weeks of paid sick leave for workers infected with COVID—and is estimated to have prevented 400 COVID cases or more per state per day. However, that federal mandate was in effect only during 2020 and was limited to employers with fewer than 500 employees.

Until the U.S. puts broad requirements in place forcing companies large and small to provide sick leave, Americans will continue to struggle to access the sick leave they need, according to Shabo.

“Companies have shown themselves unwilling to provide meaningful PSL [paid sick leave] voluntarily. Congress must act to ensure workers have the leave they need,” Schneider adds.

Fortune reached out to the top 20 Fortune 500 companies to ask about their current COVID paid sick leave policies.

财富中文网所刊载内容之知识产权为财富媒体知识产权有限公司及/或相关权利人专属所有或持有。未经许可,禁止进行转载、摘编、复制及建立镜像等任何使用。
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