‘They don’t care’: how the US lets down workers with serious illnesses

theguardian.com:

L ast summer 44-year-old Ernest Paschal II was fired from his job at a Walmart in South Carolina while recovering from sepsis. Paschal is paraplegic due to a work injury he sustained at the age of 19 and had his left leg amputated in 2019 due to a medical condition.

Like many US workers living with serious illness, Paschal found some employers have little interest – and almost no incentive – to make accommodations for sick workers.

Nearly one in three US workers with a serious illness either end up losing their jobs or have to change jobs due to their illness. The US is one of only a few countries in the world with no national paid leave.

Last summer on the job, Paschal started feeling nauseated and had trouble remaining conscious, and was sent home from work. He later learned after a doctor visit that he was septic, a life-threatening condition where the body responds over actively to an infection.

While recovering from sepsis, Paschal informed his managers of the illness and recovery, but noticed he was still receiving “attendance points”. At Walmart, workers are subjected to a disciplinary attendance point system where points are given for leaving work early, arriving late, and any absences even if excused with a medical illness. Workers with too many attendance points can miss out on raises, promotions, or be terminated.

“Even if you’re sick, they don’t care,” said Paschal. “It’s unfair the way they treat people.”

Instead of excusing his absences, Paschal said his management referred him to apply for a leave of absence through a third-party company that handles such requests for Walmart employees. The company told him he was not eligible for medical leave and while trying to determine the status of an accommodation