“Today, in a tremendous step forward for New Yorkers and our nation, the New York City Council voted to guarantee workers the right to earn paid sick days. In overriding Mayor Bloomberg’s short-sighted veto, the City Council ensured that approximately one million workers will soon have the right to earn the time they need to recover from common illnesses and care for their families without sacrificing their financial stability. This is a historic day for New Yorkers and the country’s biggest step forward yet in giving workers the right to earn paid sick days.

New York City and its working families, businesses, local economy and public health will be better off as a result of this law. And the nationwide movement for paid sick days will be strengthened by this victory and the growing attention to the devastating effects that a lack of paid sick days can have on families and communities.

As the fifth city to guarantee workers the right to earn paid sick days, New York follows the lead of San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Seattle and Portland, Oregon, in paving the way for the national paid sick days standard America’s working families want, need and deserve. Soon, it too will add to the growing body of evidence that shows the widespread benefits of this basic labor standard.

We commend the dedicated coalition of workers, businesses and advocates who worked for more than four years to make today’s victory possible. We are a significant step closer to the day when no worker has to choose between job and family or health because she or he cannot earn paid sick days. It is long past time for Congress to take the next and final step by passing the Healthy Families Act.”

A broad coalition of 270 organizations is calling on Congress to pass the Healthy Families Act. The coalition’s letter to Congress can be found here.