Policy makers across the country are increasingly interested in ensuring the adequacy of paid sick days policies. In addition to concerns about workers’ ability to respond to their own health needs, there is growing recognition that, with so many dual-earners and single-parent families, family members’ health needs can be addressed only by workers taking time from their scheduled hours on the job. Paid sick days policies also allow workers with contagious diseases to avoid unnecessary contact with co-workers and customers and, thus, are a fundamental public health measure. Paid sick days prevent workers from being fired when they are too sick to work and offer substantial savings to employers by reducing turnover and minimizing absenteeism. Milwaukee voters will have the opportunity to enact a minimum paid sick days standard on November 4th, 2008. The Institute for Women’s Policy Research has estimated the costs and benefits of the Milwaukee paid sick days referendum, using government collected data, peer-reviewed research literature, and a methodology that has been implemented in several other jurisdictions. This executive summary presents key findings from the cost/benefit analysis.