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 on the issue.
When Mayor Strickland signs the bill and it takes effect in February 2016, all private sector workers in the city will be able to earn up to three paid sick days per year. As the council member who led the effort, Ryan Mello, noted, workers should be entitled to more than three days. But the victory still undeniably adds to the paid sick days momentum we have seen across the country in recent years, especially last year.
And the paid sick days activity in Washington didn’t stop there! 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. If you are a Washington resident, learn more about how to take action and support the Washington Work and Family Coalition here.
State and local progress on paid sick days has a major impact on the lives of workers, and it brings us closer to a national standard like the Healthy Families Act. The bill is being championed by Washington’s own U.S. Sen. Patty Murray and Connecticut Rep. Rosa DeLauro and is expected to be re-introduced in Congress early this year. Stay tuned for more on its progress!
