Rural Americans are missing out on a very basic safety net: sick leave.

In particular, workers in construction, farming, forestry, and extraction, and folks who work part-time or earn lower wages, often have no paid sick or family leave whatsoever.

A patchwork of municipal and state laws has left millions of people in a lurch. Of the states with large rural populations, only Vermont and New Mexico have any combination of sick or family leave. 66% of workers in Pennsylvania, a state with both large urban centers and rural farmlands, have no paid leave benefits at all.

And it's hurting workers, families, and productivity in major ways.

Rural folks tend to work for smaller companies that are exempt from the federal Family and Medical Leave Act. Smaller companies with tighter budgets are also less likely to offer either a paid or unpaid benefit.

Workers already live further away from hospitals and clinics, increasing time off from work, and often exacerbating existing medical issues.

Sick workers get others sick.

And the cycle of lost wages and lower productivity goes on and on.

We've fallen behind our peer countries for decades now when it comes to any type of paid leave – sick days, parental, adoption, caregiving, or bereavement. No one can help getting sick and people ought to be able to care for themselves and their families without lost jobs, docked pay, or late bills.

It's long past time that we get a comprehensive paid leave bill passed in Congress once and for all that covers all workers – especially those in rural America.

It just makes sense.

Tessa

Tessa Gould
Executive Director, One Country Project

Founded by former U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), the One Country Project is dedicated to reopening the dialogue with rural communities, rebuilding trust and respect, and advancing an opportunity agenda for rural Americans. Our mission is to ensure rural America’s priorities and values are heard, understood, well-represented and reflected in policy in Washington.

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