As Katrina vanden Heuvel blogged recently, paid sick leave is the kind of pro-family policy that we should be able to take for granted in a civilized democracy. By averting senseless firings, it reduces unemployment. By letting sick people stay home, it advances public health. Momentum is growing on the local level but federal legislation has stalled in the face of the anti-regulation crowd’s well-funded opposition.

Urge your elected reps to support the Healthy Families Act, which would guarantee up to seven paid sick days per year for workers to recover from their own illness or care for a sick family member. After weighing in, share this post with your friends, family and Twitter and Facebook communities.

The Institute for Women’s Policy Research has compiled a comprehensive set of resources, briefing papers, articles and comparative studies outlining the critical importance of family leave and paid sick days in the modern economy.

In this comment, Toni Park, a restaurant worker without benefits, talks about the times when she or her children have been sick and she has lost pay because of it.

A weekly guide to meaningful action, this blog connects readers with resources to channel the outrage so many feel after reading about abuses of power and privilege. Far from a comprehensive digest of all worthy groups working on behalf of the social good, Take Action seeks to shine a bright light on one concrete step that Nation readers can take each week. To broaden the conversation, we’ll publish a weekly follow-up post detailing the response and featuring additional campaigns and initiatives that we hope readers will check out. Toward that end, please use the comments field to give us ideas. With your help, we can make real change.