86 percent of food-service workers do not receive paid sick days

A recent ACORN survey of the 50 largest food-service and retail companies in America found that a majority did not offer paid sick days to hourly employees.

Despite workers' close contact with the public, only one in four of those employed in the hospitality and food service industries were eligible to receive paid sick days.

Companies failing to provide sick days include Cracker Barrel, Jack in the Box, Darden Restaurants, Inc. (Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Bahama Breeze, Smokey Bones and Seasons), Brinker International, Inc. (Chili's Grill & Bar, Romano's Macaroni Grill, On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina and Maggiano's Little Italy), OSI Restaurant Partners, Inc. (Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba's Italian Grill, Bonefish Grill, Cheeseburger in Paradise and Fleming's Prime Steakhouse), McDonald's Corp., Wendy's International, Inc., Ruby Tuesday, Inc., Burger King Holdings, Inc. and Applebees International, Inc.

All of the aforementioned corporations are profitable and able to provide their employees with paid sick days.

Read ACORN's report, "Working Sick, Getting Stiffed," released Mar. 1, 2007.

Read CLASP's study, "When Restaurant and Hotel Workers Don't Have Paid Sick Days, It Hurts Us All."

One restaurant worker's story

Minerva, who has worked for two years at a fast-food restaurant in Raleigh, N.C., gets no paid sick days.

When she was out sick a week, her hours were reduced and pay increase lowered to 10 cents per hour. She was told by her supervisor that if she misses more than three days of work in a month, she will be fired.

A few times, Minerva has become more ill by going to work ill. She once even had to go to the hospital emergency room.

Fifty-nine million private-sector workers lack sick days.
Workers who come to work sick are less productive and spread contamination among coworkers.
Workers terminated for unauthorized sick leave find it more difficult to get jobs

Photo by Rachel Strassel
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