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It has been an exciting month in the fight for paid sick days! In little more than two weeks, Connecticut became the first state in the nation to pass a paid sick days bill, and Philadelphia joined San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and Milwaukee as the fourth city to pass a paid sick days standard. The Connecticut bill will be signed by Governor Dan Malloy, a vocal paid sick days supporter, soon. The fate of the Philadelphia bill lies in Mayor Michael Nutter’s hands.

Around the country, momentum is building. On Tuesday, the Seattle Coalition for a Healthy Workforce joined with business owners to release a new proposal aimed at ensuring all workers in the city have access to paid sick days — in a way that works for both workers and businesses. The landmark agreement is an exciting step for workers in Seattle. With supporters expected to introduce the bill in the City Council this month, we could be seeing needed paid sick days progress in Seattle very soon.

In Denver, where advocates and workers are nearly finished collecting petition signatures in support of a November 2011 paid sick days ballot initiative, new polling data released last week shows overwhelming public support for establishing a paid sick days standard. No matter how you cut it, voters across party lines express support for proposed paid sick days language. Overall, 65 percent of likely voters in Denver say they support it — and more than half say that having the opportunity to vote for it would get them to the polls. As the 9to5 Colorado-driven campaign continues to build momentum, these promising results show that the majority of Denver voters already recognize the need for a common sense paid sick days standard that will benefit workers, businesses and communities.

These are just a few of the places where paid sick days are making headlines and gaining critical support. With historic victories already achieved and workers and advocates throughout the country encouraged and inspired, it’s only a matter of time before we see action and progress in even more cities and states. Stay tuned!