In the United States, the issue of paid sick leave has gained increasing attention in recent years, particularly in light of public health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic. While federal law does not mandate paid sick leave for all employees, several states have taken steps to implement their own policies to ensure workers have access to paid time off when they are ill or need to care for a sick family member. Let's take a closer look at the landscape of paid sick leave policies state by state across the country.
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California: California was one of the first states to enact paid sick leave legislation. Under the Healthy Workplaces, Healthy Families Act of 2014, employees in California accrue one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked. This law applies to most employees, including part-time and temporary workers.
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New York: New York State passed the Paid Sick Leave Law in 2020, which requires employers with five or more employees or net income of more than $1 million to provide paid sick leave. Employees accrue sick leave based on the size of their employer and the number of hours worked.
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Oregon: Oregon's paid sick leave law, which went into effect in 2016, requires employers to provide one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked, up to 40 hours per year for employers with ten or more employees. Employers with fewer than ten employees must provide unpaid sick leave.
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Washington: Washington State's Paid Sick Leave law, enacted in 2018, requires employers to provide one hour of paid sick leave for every 40 hours worked. This law covers most employees, including full-time, part-time, and temporary workers.
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Massachusetts: Massachusetts implemented the Earned Sick Time law in 2015, which requires employers with 11 or more employees to provide paid sick leave. Employees accrue one hour of sick time for every 30 hours worked, up to 40 hours per year.
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Connecticut: Connecticut's Paid Sick Leave law, enacted in 2011, was one of the first in the nation. Covered employers must provide one hour of paid sick leave for every 40 hours worked, up to 40 hours per year.
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Maryland: Maryland's Healthy Working Families Act, which became effective in 2018, requires employers with 15 or more employees to provide paid sick leave. Employees accrue one hour of sick leave for every 30 hours worked, up to a maximum of 40 hours per year.
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New Jersey: New Jersey's Earned Sick Leave law, implemented in 2018, requires employers to provide one hour of sick leave for every 30 hours worked, up to a maximum of 40 hours per year.
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Rhode Island: Rhode Island's Healthy and Safe Families and Workplaces Act, effective in 2018, mandates that employers with 18 or more employees provide one hour of paid sick leave for every 35 hours worked, up to a maximum of 24 hours per year.
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Vermont: Vermont's paid sick leave law, enacted in 2016, requires employers to provide one hour of paid sick leave for every 52 hours worked, up to a maximum of 24 hours per year for the first two years, and 40 hours thereafter.
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Arizona: Arizona voters approved the Fair Wages and Healthy Families Act in 2016, which went into effect in 2017. Under this law, employees accrue one hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours worked. Employers with fewer than 15 employees must provide up to 24 hours of paid sick leave per year, while employers with 15 or more employees must provide up to 40 hours per year.
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Colorado: Colorado passed the Healthy Families and Workplaces Act in 2020, which went into effect in 2021. This law requires employers to provide one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked, up to a maximum of 48 hours per year for employers with 16 or more employees and 48 hours per year for smaller employers.
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Michigan: Michigan's Paid Medical Leave Act, which became effective in 2019, mandates that employers with 50 or more employees provide paid sick leave. Employees accrue one hour of paid sick leave for every 35 hours worked, up to a maximum of 40 hours per year.
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Illinois: Illinois passed the Illinois Employee Sick Leave Act in 2017, requiring employers to allow employees to use half of their accrued sick leave to care for family members. However, the law does not mandate that employers provide paid sick leave.
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Nevada: Nevada's Mandatory Paid Leave law, which went into effect in 2020, requires employers with 50 or more employees to provide paid leave. Employees accrue 0.01923 hours of paid leave for each hour worked, up to a maximum of 40 hours per year.
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Maine: Maine's Earned Paid Leave law, effective in 2021, requires employers with more than 10 employees to provide one hour of paid leave for every 40 hours worked, up to a maximum of 40 hours per year.
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New Mexico: New Mexico's Healthy Workplaces Act, which went into effect in 2022, mandates that employers provide one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked, up to a maximum of 64 hours per year for employers with 40 or more employees and 40 hours per year for smaller employers.
While these states have implemented paid sick leave laws, several others have also adopted similar policies. However, the specific requirements and coverage vary from state to state.
In conclusion, the issue of paid sick leave continues to be a focal point of labor rights discussions across the United States. As more states recognize the importance of providing paid time off for illness, caregiving responsibilities, and public health emergencies, it is likely that additional states will follow suit in implementing their own paid sick leave policies to support workers' well-being and economic security.
