Despite California law granting full-time workers a minimum of three days of paid sick leave annually, quite a portion of Asian and Latino immigrants do not avail of this benefit, reveals a recent study.
The study, conducted by the UC Berkeley School of Public Health between March and October 2021, found that 17% of participants worked without taking paid leave. This discovery is particularly timely as the California legislature considers expanding paid sick leave to seven days.
Beyond illness, the California Labor Code mandates that full-time workers—including non-U.S. citizens—receive at least three days of paid leave to care for family members or parents.
The data highlights disparities among racial and immigrant groups. Latino immigrants without U.S. citizenship made up 32% of those who did not use their paid leave, while Asian immigrants accounted for 24.7%. In contrast, only 11% of U.S.-born white workers abstained.
This rate closely resembles that of U.S.-born Asians at 11.4%, but it rises to 17.5% for naturalized Asians. U.S.-born Latinos and naturalized Latino immigrants recorded 18.3% and 21.1% respectively.
Key reasons for not using paid leave varied between groups. Latino immigrants often cited job loss fears, whereas Asian immigrants expressed concerns over financial instability without regular wages.
Several participants refrained from claiming their paid leave because they felt they weren’t eligible, feared potential repercussions for their career progression, or found the application process daunting.
In the article from to the LA Times on August 24, study co-author Alein Y. Haro-Ramos pointed out that immigrant workers, especially Latinos and Asians experiencing racial discrimination, have more difficulty securing quality employment than their white counterparts.
She emphasized, “Work is a critical social determinant of health that’s often overlooked. The nature and quality of our employment impact our earnings, financial stability, living conditions, and overall workplace environment.”
The report accentuated the need for states to not just pass protective laws for immigrants and marginalized communities but also enforce them vigorously.
The research aimed to shed light on disparities between U.S.-born workers and immigrants. Facilitated online by the California Department of Health Services, the survey was available in seven languages, including English, Spanish, Chinese, and Korean. It analyzed input from 24,453 primary and 12,485 secondary participants, further categorized based on key independent and outcome variables.
BY NICOLE CHANG [chang.nicole@koreadaily.com]
