Two hundred and three professors from 88 US universities, including Harvard, Yale, Stanford, MIT and University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, signed an open letter in support of the introduction of paid sick and parental leave to all workers in the United States. More information was published by Mashable.com.
The professors' arguments provide evidence that a federal system of sickness insurance and parental leave makes clear business sense and benefits companies and the economy as a whole. Employees who can devote more time to their private lives experience less stress and are more productive and engaged at work. At the same time, they feel stronger loyalty to their employers and achieve improved leadership skills. All this leads to lower turnover and higher profits.
Money only for the privileged
The US is the only developed economy in the world with no national health insurance system and no paid parental leave guaranteed to employees. Parents are entitled to take parental leave for 12 weeks (the same as in Swaziland and Lesotho), but it is unpaid leave only for employees of companies with more than 50 employees.
Some, especially big technology companies have started to offer paid sick and parental leave on their own initiative as employee benefits. However, figures are harsh: Only 13% of the working population of the United States is entitled to get paid parental leave. Employers contribute to the sickness insurance of less than 40% of employees.
Behind the times
Signatories of the letter appeal to the Congress to adopt a bill called the Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMILY) Act submitted by the Democrats in 2013. The bill establishes a common standard of sickness insurance and paid parental leave for all employees in the United States. Sickness and parental benefits should be paid from social insurance in which employees will pay 0.2% of their wages.
The main author of the letter Stewart Friedman, professor of management at Wharton School, refers to Americans as "Neanderthals" in relation to other developed countries in this context. Professor Amy Edmondson of Harvard Business School is of the same opinion. She also stressed the absurd length of the debate on the introduction of a sickness insurance system in the US which has lasted forty years.
President Barack Obama supports the introduction of a national sickness insurance system. He sees the FAMILY Act as a possible option. Recently, he signed a regulation stating that all companies which have a business contract with government organizations have to give their employees at least seven paid days of sick leave.
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