https://www.americancityandcounty.com/wp-content/themes/acc_child/assets/images/logo/footer-logo.png
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcast
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Events
    • How to Contribute
    • Municipal Cost Index – Archive
    • Equipment Watch Page
    • American City & County Awards
  • Magazine
    • Back
    • Digital Editions
    • Reprints & Reuse
    • Advertise
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms of Service
American City and County
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcasts
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Events
    • How to Contribute
    • American City & County Awards
    • Municipal Cost Index
    • Equipment Watch Page
  • Magazine
    • Back
    • Digital Editions
    • Reprints & Reuse
    • Subscribe to GovPro
    • Manage GovPro Subscription
    • Advertise
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Stament
    • Terms of Service
  • newsletter
  • Administration
  • Economy & Finance
  • Procurement
  • Public Safety
  • Public Works & Utilities
  • Smart Cities & Technology
acc.com

Administration


Cities, states mandate paid sick days

Cities, states mandate paid sick days

Supporters say the new laws protect public health and reduce unemployment.
  • Written by Allison Reilly
  • 1st September 2011

In June, Connecticut became the first state to mandate paid sick leave for service employees. Connecticut’s new law, along with similar ordinances passed by cities across the country, aims to protect public health and encourage job growth. Some businesses and elected officials have opposed the laws, expressing concerns about extra costs.

Effective Jan. 1, 2012, workers at companies in Connecticut with a minimum of 50 employees can accrue one hour of paid sick leave for every 40 hours worked. The law is expected to benefit more than 250,000 people, according to Jon Green, director of the Hartford, Conn.-based Connecticut Working Families Party, a non-profit organization that advocates for mandatory paid sick leave.

Most employees who do not commonly receive paid sick days work in food, retail and health care industries, so they interact heavily with the public. Permitting them to stay home when they are ill benefits public health, Green says. Nearly half of the 21 million annual outbreaks of norovirus, a common food-borne virus, are caused by ill food workers, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “It’s healthy for the public and common decency for working people [to mandate paid sick leave],” Green says.

San Francisco passed a paid sick leave law in 2006, and several large cities, including Denver and Seattle, are considering paid sick day mandates. Seattle Councilman Nick Licata, sponsor of the paid sick leave legislation, said that if his bill were to become law, it would benefit more than 190,000 employees in the Seattle area. “This bill improves the quality of life of Seattle’s citizens,” Licata says.

In Connecticut, only one Republican senator voted for the bill. Most claimed it would be bad for businesses, says the legislation’s sponsor State Senator Edith Prague. San Francisco’s law, which passed by referendum with wide public support, did not face much opposition. A majority of businesses in San Francisco support the law, according to Kevin Miller, senior research associate at the Washington-based Institute for Women’s Policy Research, and a study conducted by the institute last year found most businesses did not report any loss of profitability as a result of the mandate.

The laws also offer an economic benefit, according to Eileen Appelbaum, senior economist at the Washington-based Center for Economic and Policy Research. Job retention policies like paid sick days are a way to reduce unemployment by reducing layoffs and firings, Appelbaum said in a statement. “Job retention policies that fight unemployment should be a top priority,” Appelbaum said. “Paid sick days legislation would help deter unnecessary firings, and help keep hard-working people in their jobs.”

Allison Reilly is a St. Louis-based freelance writer.

Tags: Administration Economy

Related


  • Biden’s relief plan includes $350 billion for local and state government
    President-Elect Joe Biden announced a $1.9 trillion relief plan Thursday to combat the COVID-19 crisis and the economic downturn it has caused. In addition to $400 million to combat the pandemic specifically, the proposal includes $350 billion for state, local and tribal governments that would help them to bridge budget shortfalls, help public works maintain […]
  • How Philadelphia is aiming for zero waste
    The city of Philadelphia has long collected data on city properties’ waste generation and leveraged it to improve waste management, but now it’s honing in on the commercial sector too, realizing this will be crucial to hitting Philly’s zero waste targets. Today it runs a voluntary program where both municipal and commercial operations do detailed […]
  • How the City of Fullerton navigated adding candidates to ballots remotely
    This time last year, we were all looking forward to 2020: the start of a new decade and big elections (federally and locally) were just a few of the things we were excited about as we closed out the year. Little did we know, the beginning of the end of “normal” would happen two month […]
  • Signs begging for change
    The 21 neediest American cities in 2021
    Every city has its share of economic issues, but economic disadvantages affects some cities more than others. Is your city among the neediest cities in the U.S.?

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your American City and County account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • Will digital transformation of city procurement hold up beyond the pandemic?
  • Minneapolis cuts millions from police budget
  • Colorado county’s value-based health care strategy produces savings
  • BhamStrong delivers long-term solutions in uncertain times

White papers


How a unified HR system helps one public safety organization manage crews, payroll, and more in a single platform

7th January 2021

Your Roadmap to COVID-19 Funding

18th December 2020

The One Where Everyone Wins: A Mutually Beneficial Contracting Method

10th December 2020
view all

Events


PODCAST


Young Leaders Episode 4 – Cyril Jefferson – City Councilman, High Point, North Carolina

13th October 2020

Young Leaders Episode 3 – Shannon Hardin – City Council President, Columbus, Ohio

27th July 2020

Young Leaders Episode 2 – Christian Williams – Development Services Planner, Goodyear, Ariz.

1st July 2020
view all

Twitter


AmerCityCounty

The latest episode The Young Leaders Podcast focuses on Cyril Jefferson. Cyril is the youngest African American to… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

27th October 2020
AmerCityCounty

Hillsboro, Oregon is pioneering a new #renewableenergy generation technology through a partnership with… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

27th October 2020
AmerCityCounty

The impact of the #COVID19 pandemic on #telework was swift and profound. Now, the big question is whether – and to… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

26th October 2020
AmerCityCounty

Get ready for the can't-miss webinar on how to kickstart your efficiency improvement plan with Luke Anderson of… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

26th October 2020
AmerCityCounty

Among all states headed into the 2020 general election, which ones have voting populations that are the most demogr… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

26th October 2020
AmerCityCounty

We want to hear from you! Share your thoughts in our readership survey to help us shape future content so that we c… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

23rd October 2020
AmerCityCounty

See how cities different approaches to distribute masks in their communities >> spr.ly/6010GAPLa

23rd October 2020
AmerCityCounty

While #facialrecognition is a powerful tool that can improve law enforcement efficiency, that doesn’t necessarily t… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

23rd October 2020

Newsletters

Sign up for American City & County’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about local governments.

Resale Insights Dashboard

The Resale Insights Dashboard provides model-level data for the entire used equipment market to help you save time and money.

Municipal Cost Index

Updated monthly since 1978, our exclusive Municipal Cost Index shows the effects of inflation on the cost of providing municipal services

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital audience? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • IWCE’s Urgent Communications
  • IWCE Expo

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us

FOLLOW American City and County ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookies Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2021 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X