PEDRO: Difficult Choices at Food Preparation Job
Oct. 25, 2016
Paid Sick Leave Story
Pedro works as a baker at a small local Tucson company where he is one of just two bakers. He enjoys his job baking breads for restaurants in the greater Tucson area. But he lives payday to payday, and struggles with what to do when he gets sick since his employer does not offer paid sick leave. Pedro cannot afford to miss even a day or two of work; the lost income would put him seriously behind on rent and bills.
So Pedro must show up to work sick. He remembers 3 occasions in the past two years where he has had to go to work ill. Each time, he stopped at Walgreens for medication to dull the symptoms, but he was slow and could not do his job well. Pedro does not serve customers, but the nature of his job means he handles the food. “I worry for the customers,” Pedro explained, “and all the stuff that could be in the bread.”
But Pedro feels like he has no choice. Without paid sick days, he has to choose paying his rent over taking care of himself and his potential clients.