This week’s election in Chicago generated much attention due to its impact on the iconic city’s future leaders. But voters were also faced with a ballot question critical to more than 460,000 workers and the overall health and well-being of the city. The question asked whether employers in the city should be required to provide paid sick time. And an overwhelming majority of voters – 82 percent – said “yes.”
Local and national advocates are now calling on the city’s lawmakers to respond quickly to the voter mandate. As Melissa Josephs, director of equal opportunity policy at Women Employed, said in a statement, “Lawmakers should swiftly heed this call to give workers much needed relief and make our city a healthier, more business-friendly place.” Women Employed is the advocacy group that anchors the Earned Sick Time Chicago Coalition.
This victory is a significant step forward for the campaign, and it adds to the growing momentum around paid sick days we have seen already this year. Local and state laws continue to pave the way for the national standard the nation needs – the Healthy Families Act – and having a city as big and influential as Chicago pass one of its own would help tremendously.
If you live in the Chicago area, now is the time to tell your elected officials to pass a paid sick days law. Send them a message here. Then contact Melissa Josephs to learn more about how you and/or your organization can join the effort to make the Windy City the next to secure a paid sick days victory.
