#paid sick leave

[dispatchesfromtheclasswar]

[allthecanadianpolitics]

Premier Ranj Pillai says that all Yukon businesses can apply to have the cost of employee wages on sick days covered by the government — even if they already have a program in place to cover those costs themselves.

When the new government-funded paid sick leave program was announced earlier this week, one of the stipulations was that only businesses that did not already have a policy promising to pay employee wages on sick days could apply for the rebate.

NDP MLA Lane Tredger said that approach punished businesses who chose to do the right thing.

"If I were an organization that already pays for sick leave and will be getting nothing through this program while my competitors are subsidized, I would be outraged," Tredger said. [...]

Continue Reading.

Tagging: @politicsofcanada

[damnfool-of-a-took]

Oh hey, professional hat on for a sec: several states over the past few years have been implementing mandatory paid sick time laws (some of which are "sick and safe time" to allow employees to take paid leave for reasons besides illness).

Most recent of the states to implement these laws is Missouri, set to go into effect May 1, 2025. Michigan and Wisconsin have also put mandatory sick time into effect in the last 12 months.

There are more, these three are just some of the newest.

People can search [your state] [sick time law] to see if your boss is legally required to let you earn paid sick time.

Each state that has done this has an FAQ page on their official state site (which will end with .gov, do not click on copycat sites and get your info stolen!)

and a contact method set up to answer questions + report noncompliance if your boss is fucking around with their obligations to their employees

Most common structure I'm seeing is earning 1 hour paid sick time for every 30 hours worked, usually capping between 1 to 2 weeks paid sick leave, but different states have different requirements.

These policies aren't everywhere by any means, but they are becoming more widespread, and the more people know about them and use them, the better.

I am very covid cautious and I just want to say that at this point of failed public health response, staying home when you're sick is basically impossible at this point. Like yes, taking a day to three off when you're at your most symptomatic is possible, but the length of time people are sick and the frequency now, like low income people can't afford it. We just can't. We need better policy around this and it's so frustrating how little people care, including people who need the policies the most

[mara-and-politics]

Story by Rachel Tillapaugh on 2/21/25 for WJAC (Updated 2/22/25) A slightly older story for the current climate, but some good news coming out of the Dem legislature in Virginia. I do not expect this to get signed into law. If Youngkin vetoes it, it likely does not have the votes to overcome the veto. However, he has until March 24th to make a decision on the bill. HB1921 would require employers to give every employee paid time off that they could then use if:

They’re suffering from a physical or mental illness

They need to go to the doctor for preventive reasons

They need to care for a sick child

They need services due to domestic abuse, sexual assault or stalking.

[michigantopnews]

Michigan Senate Approves Nation’s Strongest Earned Sick Leave Policy

Michigan lawmakers approve the strongest earned sick leave policy in the nation, expanding benefits to over a million additional workers. Michigan Senate Passes Bipartisan Bill Expanding Sick Leave LANSING – The Michigan Senate has passed House Bill 4002, establishing a statewide earned sick leave policy that extends coverage to more than a million additional workers. The bipartisan…

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Dave Jamieson at HuffPost:

A growing number of liberal states have passed paid sick leave laws in recent years, assuring workers get paid time off to care for themselves or their loved ones when they’re ill. Now some conservative states might be getting in on the act, too. Campaigns in Nebraska, Missouri and Alaska have secured enough signatures to put sick leave measures on their ballots this November. If voters approve them, the laws would let workers start accruing one hour of paid sick time for every 30 they work, capped at 56 hours per year at large employers and 40 at small ones.

More than a dozen states have similar mandates on their books, according to A Better Balance, a nonprofit advocate for fair and supportive workplaces. But none of those states are as red as Nebraska, Missouri or Alaska, all of which former President Donald Trump won handily in 2016 and 2020. If the ballot measures succeed, it would demonstrate just how popular paid sick days are among the general public. “What we’ve realized in talking to thousands of Nebraskans is that this is a really commonsense issue,” said Jo Giles, director of the Women’s Fund of Omaha, one of the advocacy groups backing the initiative in Nebraska. “Most people have been sick at some point in their working lives and have needed to take time off.” Giles said the typical voter sympathizes with someone who has to choose between a day’s pay and taking care of a child who’s home sick from school. The campaign, called Paid Sick Leave for Nebraskans, includes small-business owners who haven’t balked at the idea of a new mandate, she added.

The U.S. is an outlier among wealthy countries in not guaranteeing workers sick leave or other paid time off. The lack of a federal mandate means employers don’t have to offer any paid time off unless there is a state or local ordinance dictating otherwise. (The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 guarantees extended leave under certain circumstances, but it doesn’t have to be compensated.) About 80% of workers have access to paid sick days, meaning 1 in 5 don’t, according to estimates from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. And those who lack them fall disproportionately near the low end of the pay scale: Only 40% of workers in the bottom decile of wages can call out sick and still get paid.

[...] Polling shows that voters tend to really like the idea of requiring employers to provide workers with paid leave and that support for the policy tends to cross party lines, much like boosting the minimum wage. A majority of states, including some red ones, now mandate a higher minimum wage than the federal level of $7.25 per hour, thanks in large part to statewide referendums. This year’s sick leave initiatives in Missouri and Alaska pair the proposals with minimum wage hikes that would send the state rates to $15 per hour within a few years. The current state rates are $12.30 in Missouri and $11.73 in Alaska. Using ballot measures makes a lot of sense for paid leave advocates since the strategy provides a way around Republican-dominated statehouses that won’t advance paid leave legislation. Such proposals have fared well when put directly to voters in other states, though not all states allow referendums.

A few states will have paid sick leave ballot measures this fall to vote on, such as Missouri and Nebraska.

[particularj]

From June 20, 2023

Rail workers have won their paid sick days!

[radioregine]

hi so ive been back at work for a few weeks since that time was ill & they've just ... not paid me? and until i can get things sorted out with payroll i need help with my phone bill & immediate essentials since i was counting on my money finally coming in today. im so sorry to ask for help again rn but im disabled and just really going through it tryna finish my damn degree keep food on the table & stay sane/relatively healthy lol. any help appreciated.

$0 / $100

cashapp /venmo / paypal if you dm

[lissu]

i didn’t receive my pay for january and i can’t even jack off to alleviate the stress (because of the stupid top surgery) please mutuals come fuck me incoherent so i can’t worry about this

[reasonsforhope]

Source:

"More than 60% of U.S. unionized railroad workers at major railroads are now are covered by new sick leave agreements, a trade group said Monday [June 5th].

Last year railroads came under fire for not agreeing to paid sick leave during labor negotiations.

In December, President Joe Biden signed legislation to block a national U.S. railroad strike that could have devastated the American economy after some unions voted against the deal over a lack of paid sick leave.

“For months, railroads have been at the table individually with their unions to find a path forward on the quality-of-life matters that came into the spotlight during the round’s final days," Association of American Railroads CEO Ian Jefferies said.

“Not all of these agreements are the same. However, they are the result of good faith bargaining and a shared desire to demonstrate the value rail employees provide to their companies, their families and the overall economy."

Norfolk Southern (NSC.N) and the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers -Transportation Division (SMART-TD) said Monday they reached an agreement that immediately provides nearly 300 yardmasters with four new days of paid sick leave per year while also offering flexibility to use up to three additional days of existing paid time off as sick leave.

Norfolk Southern said all of its unionized workers are now covered by sick leave agreements.

Also on Monday, Union Pacific (UNP.N) reached an agreement with the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) to provide paid sick leave to for its 5,600 locomotive engineers.

Under the agreement effective Aug. 1, members will have up to seven paid days of sick leave. Five days will be considered paid sick days with the ability to convert two additional paid leave days for use as paid sick time."

-via Reuters, June 5, 2023

biden 2024 - making things work

[shootingstarpilot]

fuck me with a rusty rake, i guess

[lesbiansanemi]

Currently trying not to vomit over the fact that I essentially just lost almost a thousand dollars brb

[from-the-coffee-shop-in-edoras]

I’ve got an ear infection (what am I, a four year old???) and had to spend three hours at urgent care to get an antibiotic because the healthcare system in this country is broken. BUT, I used that time both to read some good shit and to think up Guthláf’s very last words to Wíd. So, productive!

[nsforsnz]

I've got a cold and I am MISERABLE, I'm either sneezing my head off or like- I WANT to sneeze, I can feel that it's right fucking there and it's so itchy, but it's just not coming

[infinifi]

SO sick of coming into the office just to be surrounded by people coughing and sneezing and sniffling and blowing their noses all day.

I'm going to see Sleep Token on Thursday so if I catch something I'm going to sue this establishment.