The Maryland Senate has approved a statewide paid sick days standard, bringing the state the closest it has ever been to joining the nearly 40 jurisdictions across the country with paid sick days laws. This is a historic advance for Marylanders, as well as advocates and lawmakers who have been working for years to secure such a standard.
Data from a new national survey reveal seven in 10 women working in the fast food industry say they have gone to work with symptoms of illness. Only 14 percent of women in the industry, and a mere 6 percent of women who are paid less than $9 per hour, say they have access to paid sick days.
This week marks the start of open enrollment under the Affordable Care Act – a historic advance that has made more affordable, comprehensive health insurance coverage available to millions more consumers. But increasing access to health coverage addresses only one barrier to health care in this country. Paid sick days access is essential too.
The St. Paul City Council unanimously approved a paid sick days ordinance on September 7. When fully implemented, the law will guarantee approximately 68,300 additional private sector workers in the city the right to earn paid sick time. This is the second paid sick days win in Minnesota this year, following Minneapolis’s victory in May. Advocates now have their sights set on making Duluth next.
New data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reveal that the tireless work of paid sick days advocates and thoughtful lawmakers across the country is making a real difference. Sixty-four percent of private sector workers can now earn paid sick time, compared to 61 percent in 2015. That is the highest share on record – and it means millions more workers have gained access to paid sick days.
Chicago took a major step toward becoming the 34th jurisdiction in the country with a paid sick days law today, following unanimous approval by the city council. Mayor Rahm Emmanuel has pledged to sign the ordinance. When it takes effect on July 1, 2017, more than 460,000 workers will newly gain the right to earn paid sick time. And the nation’s three most populous cities will guarantee this common sense protection.
Advocates and small business owners in Minneapolis are making the case for paid sick days. A new report released last week by the Main Street Alliance of Minnesota with the support of the National Partnership for Women & Families summarizes the growing body of evidence that shows paid sick days policies benefit businesses.
2016 is off to a good start for many workers who used to lack access to paid sick days. On January 1, Oregon’s statewide paid sick days bill took effect. On January 6, a paid sick days law in New Brunswick, New Jersey, took effect. And today, Spokane, Wash., passed a paid sick days ordinance.
It’s been an exciting week for paid sick days! Yesterday, Elizabeth, New Jersey, became the 10th city in the state to pass a paid sick days law. And last week, the Jersey City Council voted to expand the city’s paid sick days law. This is tremendous progress, but hundreds of thousands of workers in the state still cannot earn a single paid sick day.
We have seen undeniable paid sick days progress at the state and local levels in recent years, but working people in 41 states still have neither statewide protections nor any local protections. Fact sheets released by the National Partnership for Women & Families last week explore the impact of this lack of paid sick days across the country.
Last Friday, June 12 , nearly half of all private sector workers in Oregon woke up hoping that a case of the flu, strep throat or some other common and contagious illness wouldn’t force them to choose between staying home to recover or care for a sick child and the jobs and wages they need to put food on the table.
Earlier this spring, a bipartisan majority of U.S. senators voted in favor of a nonbinding paid sick days budget amendment. For paid sick days advocates, this promising development was a unique opportunity for action and accountability. Today, the work to turn that symbolic vote into meaningful support continues.
After a years-long fight for paid sick days in Philadelphia, a law passed overwhelmingly by the City Council earlier this year takes effect today. Now, workers at businesses with 10 or more employees will earn one hour of paid sick time for every 40 hours worked. But sadly, that’s not the end of the story.
In a flurry of budget amendment votes in the U.S. Senate last week, those of us who advocate for paid sick days and other family friendly workplace policies witnessed an encouraging and unprecedented sign of progress. The vote was promising, but there is more work to do.
Cross-posted from the Huffington Post. It’s clear that America’s families, lawmakers and employers are ready for action to advance paid sick days and paid leave policies. The Obama administration’s new effort, combined with continued progress in jurisdictions and at individual companies like Microsoft, will make that even clearer.
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.
Progress in the nationwide effort to increase access to paid sick days continued at the federal and local levels last week. On Thursday, Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) reintroduced the Healthy Families Act and the Philadelphia City Council approved a hard-won paid sick days ordinance that Mayor Nutter promptly signed into law.
In Washington state, January has been a good month for workers and advocates pushing for family friendly workplace policies. On Tuesday, the Tacoma City Council approved a paid sick days ordinance, making it the first city to do so in 2015, and the first jurisdiction to follow President Obama’s recent call for action the issue. And just yesterday, a statewide proposal (HB 1356) that would guarantee at least one million workers the right to earn paid sick days passed out of the House Labor Committee.
Voters from coast to coast turned out on November 4 to show their support for paid sick days. Thanks to voters approving ballot measures in Massachusetts, Oakland, Calif., and two cities in New Jersey – Montclair and Trenton – these jurisdictions can now be added to the list of places that will guarantee workers the basic right to earn paid sick days.
