nope, I work in New York.State and I was diagnosed with pneumonia yesterday and told them the doctor said no work for 3 days and they said "ok get better". I have 20 sick days to work with (roll over from last year)

I guess in the US some people want to skip work a lot, so suspicious bosses may not always let their workers stay home. Unfortunately it's illegal not to give sick leave in the US, but hey, just because something's illegal doesn't always mean people won't continue doing it.

I use to wait tables at a restaurant and one day I called in sick. Throwing up and a high fever. My bosses response? "Come in or you're fired." It often depends on the boss though.

Legally they can not make you come in if your doctor says no. OPs boss is apparently just an asshole. And no Americans do not call in sick often. Not any more than the people wherever you're from.

Where in the US is it illegal to not give sick days. I've worked in Texas all my life and only 2 of the 5 jobs I've worked gave sick days.

That's the same thing I'm wondering, and with OPs condition, why would they deny them? Especially if they work with kids..

Not everyone has sick days, though. I worked at a job several years ago that offered no sick days. If you contracted an illness that was serious enough to keep you out for more than a day, you risked being fired. One lady was actually fired during her heart surgery. She sued for unlawful termination and got her job back, but they made her life hell for it.

I don't get sick days unfortunately but we do get to call in if we really need it. I work for a produce company and they'll either give us medicine at work or send us home since we can't risk contaminating the product that thousands will use.

I don't understand the principle of sick days, here in France, you could be sick for like 6 months and your employer still couldn't fire you, they don't pay you anymore and they can replace you but you'll get your entire salary paid to you by some kind of institution and you'll have your job back when you come back. Does it mean that if you have like 15 sick days a year and you need 20 you have to go to work sick for 5 days ? What if you have cancer or something ? Or a bad car crash and you have to stay home for 1 month ?

26—in the US, you can apply for FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act) for a long term illness, maternity leave, or family emergency. To be eligible, the leave has to be certified by a doctor, be long term (I think over 20 days, but I can't quite remember), and you have to have worked at your job for at least 12 consecutive months. You also have to show proof that you are continuously receiving treatment during your leave. If you qualify, your employer can't fire you, but they don't have to pay you. I had pneumonia a few years ago and was out six weeks. Filling out the FMLA paperwork and getting it approved was incredibly time consuming. I had a friend who was in the hospital for three weeks after a car accident and surgery. He was ineligible for FMLA because he'd only worked at his job for ten months. He ended up losing that job. FMLA does provide some protection for employees, if they're eligible, but not everyone and not every situation qualifies for it. Unfortunately, in the US, if you get sick, you're screwed.

It doesn't exactly work like that but it is true that in France, your employer can't fire you for being ill. Many employers will ask for proof that you were ill though. It's when I see things like this FML that I'm really glad to have this system, and security !

My cousin broke his arm 2 days after starting a new job, his job was to move boxes around so he couldn't work anymore, he still got paid until he was up again.

Contagious or not, they can be extremely painful and disruptive to your daily life. Not to mention the toll multiple infections can have on your body. Continuously overworking and over stressing your body can impair the immune system, causing it to take longer to heal from illness. Plus, kids are full of germs. If your immune system is already compromised, you're more likely to pick up another bug.

Pneumonia is very contagious, actually. Not sure about Bronchitis though.

Not in Texas they can fire you for any reason

I think a lot of places are like that but if I had a doctors not excusing me from working and was fired for it then I'd try to fight for wrongful termination. If the person is THAT sick they don't need to be working. More jobs need to care for their employees more than they do.

I would have left anyways if I was puking.