Access to paid sick leave is linked to a lower rate of mortality among U.S. working age men and women, according to new research in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. The study, "U.S. State Preemption Laws and Working-Age Mortality," was co-authored by Douglas Wolf, professor emeritus of public administration and international affairs, University Professor Jennifer Karas Montez, and Shannon Monnat, professor of sociology.

"State preemption laws that protect profits over people may be shortening the lives of working-age Americans," says Montez in a press release about the research that was cited in the CBS News article, "Some states have blocked paid sick-leave laws. That could be causing higher worker mortality."

“The consequences of preemption laws stymie local government innovation, constrain opportunities to earn a living wage and take time off of work for medical care without financial repercussions, elevate the risk of death among infants and working age-adults, and contribute to geographic disparities in mortality,” Wolf says in the release, which was also featured in the CTV News article, "More paid sick leave means less death overall, according to U.S. study."

In the Healthline article, "Paid Sick Leave Linked to Lower Risk of Death," Montez says, "When states block local authority to improve working conditions, such as requiring paid sick leave, it has life and death consequences."