Texas progressives have been advocating for paid sick leave policies for years. And while Austin and Dallas have passed local ordinances, partisan pushback has kept policies – both in Texas and other states – tied up in court.

With the advent of the coronavirus, we have a new sense of urgency around the health and safety of our workforce. Healthy workers make for healthy economies, and the opportunity to earn paid sick days ensures the health of both. Yet the fight for paid sick leave has fallen on partisan lines, with progressives standing in favor while conservatives have been doing everything they can to stop them.

But this isn't a partisan issue; it’s a moral one.

Even more so, paid sick leave is a practical issue. Do you really want sick workers showing up for their shifts and getting the rest of your staff sick? As our friends at the Texas AFL-CIO pointed out, employers cannot afford to have employees getting other employees getting sick, and they certainly cannot afford to get customers and clients sick.

But without it, workers are forced to show up to work and heighten health risks all around. As our Senior Strategist Glenn W. Smith wrote, common sense hasn’t been on the menu in years. Maybe the time has finally come.

It's time to stop fighting the policy and start implementing it.