Between 1.65 and 1.85 million working New Yorkers do not have paid sick leave. (Sick in the City, Oct. 2009).  For these New Yorkers, taking time off from work means the loss of a day’s pay, or worse, loss of a good shift, other retaliation, or firing.

The New York City Paid Sick Time Act would enable workers in the City to earn up to nine days of paid sick leave per year, while employees of small businesses would be entitled to five paid sick days.  San Francisco, Washington, D.C. and Milwaukee have passed similar legislation.  

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The 2010 Paid Sick Time Bill and How it Would Work

• New York City Paid Sick Time Act
• Bill Summary with Changes from 2009 Bill
  
• FAQs about Paid Sick Time Bill

Media Coverage

• New York City Paid Sick Days Campaign in the News 

Widespread Support From Workers, Businesses, Nonprofits, Public Health Experts, Community Boards and Elected Officials

• New Yorkers for Paid Sick Days
• Op-Ed and Editorial Support
•      - El Diario Op Ed
•      - Councilwoman Gonzalez Opinion
•      - Councilman Recchia Opinion
  
• Polling Data

How Paid Sick Days Have Worked for San Francisco

Testimony by Donna Levitt, Head of San Francisco Office of Labor Standards:

"The implementation of our law has been quite smooth and businesses have not reported compliance with the law to be a major problem.  Employees did not use all of the days of paid sick leave that were available and there were very few reports of abuse of paid sick leave."

 "In fact, the head of the Chamber of Commerce and the Golden Gate Restaurant Association were both quoted in the press as saying that paid sick leave did not present undue hardships that could not be managed by their members and did represent good public policy."

"A study was done of the first year of our ordinance and found that no businesses had either closed or laid off workers specifically citing the cause as the San Francisco paid sick leave ordinance." 

• San Francisco Enforcement Report
• Drum Major Institute Report
  

Research Evidence Regarding the Need For and the Cost of Legislation

• Sick in the City: What the Lack of Paid Leave Means for Working New Yorkers (CSS/ABB, Oct. 2009) 
• Behind the Kitchen Door: Pervasive Inequality in New York City's Thriving Restaurant Industry (ROC NY, 2005)
• Valuing Good Health in New York City: The Costs and Benefits of Paid Sick Days (IWPR, Oct. 2009) , Executive Summary
• Letter from IWPR Rebutting Five Borough Chamber Alliance's estimate of cost of Paid Sick Time Bill (Nov. 2009)
• Small Business Size Memo
  

For more information about the campaign for paid sick days in New York City, please click here to visit our New York Paid Sick Days document library.