Cook County should back paid sick days
On Oct. 5, the Cook County Board of Commissioners will be considering a bill that would grant over 400,000 workers in Cook County the ability to take a paid sick day from work.
No longer will workers, many of them low income, be forced to choose whether to stay home and lose a day's pay, or go to work sick, jeopardizing their own health and the health of their fellow workers and customers.
Religious communities that pray for those who are injured or ill and provide much essential health care through faith-based health care ministries also support a society in which the ability to access those services is available to all.
Paid sick days will help move Cook County toward that vision and make it a reality for all.
I am grateful to Commissioners Bridget Gainer and Chuy Garcia for spearheading this effort, and I urge the full county board to support it for the sake of all our neighbors.
Sister Kristine Vorenkamp
Palatine