Sunday Letters: Make paid sick days the law

On Thursday, the proposed Paid Sick Days Ordinance passed a major hurdle when it passed the Workforce Development committee. This Father’s Day, I am calling on all aldermen to honor hardworking dads like me across the city and finally pass the Paid Sick Days Ordinance during Wednesday’s City Council meeting.

Because I have never had access to paid sick days, I often have to go into work sick out of fear of missing a day’s wage or jeopardizing my job. Whenever my two kids are sick, I take as little time off as possible because I can’t afford to take a full day off. Nothing is worse than rushing back to work knowing my child needs me, but my family relies on the paycheck that I bring home. The simple fact is that if I don’t work, I don’t get paid. Without paid sick days, I am forced to choose between caring for their physical health or our household’s financial health.

What’s more, having to work while my kids or I are sick means that we are spreading illnesses at school or work, impacting other families. As a parent, I don’t want other families to have to make the painful choices that I do.

Everyone who works hard deserves to take time for themselves and their families when needed. I hope the city of Chicago will pass this important law to allow all working dads in Chicago to care for ourselves and our children.

Alexander Hernandez Jr., Albany Park

Thank you

Johnson Publishing Co., one of America’s most prominent African-American-owned companies, was recently sold to an equity firm in Austin, Texas. The famous Ebony and Jet magazines were founded by John H. Johnson in 1952. Whether this historic change augurs well for the future remains to be seen.

Regardless, the transition reminds us that to all things there is a season; all business relationships come to an end; and the only thing permanent is change.

Among the significant contributions of the Johnson era was the following: Lerone Bennett, Jr., now 87, was an editor with Johnson Publishing Co. and became its executive editor in 1958, a position he held for decades. His work, Before the Mayflower: A History of Black America, 1619–1962 (1962), is probably the greatest black history book. Bennett’s superb tome should be required reading for all people who wish to be educated about black history.

Leon J. Hoffman, he Loop

Why gun shop turned Steinberg down

Columnist Neil Steinberg could be on to something in advancing his theory that the gun shop Maxon’s wouldn’t sell him an assault rifle for fear of publicity. Exactly what does Steinberg presume his possession of such a weapon could possibly reveal about gun ownership that everyone doesn’t already know? Neil doesn’t say, and I can’t for the life of me see how the gun shop’s decision not to finalizing the sale could prevent him from giving the shop “bad publicity,” if that was their concern. Is it possible that the gun store’s real reason for canceling the sale, made perfectly clear in their statement, is that ownership of such a weapon by an alcoholic with a history of alleged domestic violence might just be a bad idea?

Marty Zielinski, Norwood Park