The Bay State's ballot victory is a win for millions of the state's workers who now have the time they need to recover from illnesses, for parents who need to care for a sick child, or for those who face retribution if they take an unpaid day off when they're ill.

And it's a win for the rest of us who don't want to listen to our cubiclemate hacking throughout the day. Or, more importantly, those of us who don't want our food server to hand us an order of fries AND a norovirus.

With any hope, Tuesday's ballot wins will set a new precedent in elections to come, and the sick-leave movement will eventually go nationwide.

As big of a proponent as I am of staying home when you're sick, I don't always do it. I've come into the office with various ailments because I simply didn't have the sick days that I needed (as someone with PTO, I've taken vacation and forfeited my sick time for the rest of the year).

Frankly, it's selfish and rude of me to do so. I'm not alone.

Nearly 80 percent of office workers come to work even when they know they're sick. Worse still, for those who stay home, more than two-thirds return to work when they're still contagious, putting co-workers' health and business productivity at risk. A contagion spreading like wildfire in the office is a much bigger problem than a worker staying home for a day or two. (Oh, and on another note: go get a flu shot!)

The bipartisan support for sick leave is a nice change of pace from the usual repugnant political battle. According to a University of Chicago poll a few years back, 89 percent of "strong Democrats," 59 percent of "strong Republicans" and 77 percent of independents said they supported universal access to a minimum number of paid sick days.

Access to marijuana or paid sick leave? Well, that's a no-brainer. Now excuse me while I go get my flu shot.