In honor of our tenth anniversary, we’re celebrating ten important victories over the ten weeks leading up to our Spring Celebration.
For the millions of Americans who lack even a single paid sick day and the many more who cannot use their sick time to care for a sick child, a simple case of the flu can mean an impossible choice between your family’s health and your paycheck or even your job. This problem goes to the heart of our mission to ensure that workers can care for themselves and their families without risking their economic security. That’s why we helped begin the national movement for paid sick days and serve as the legal advisor for that movement.
Our model law and legal advice have been used by virtually every campaign for paid sick time leading to the passage of paid sick time requirements in five states and 23 localities. And our progress on paid sick time continues to grow, with Vermont becoming the fifth state to guarantee paid sick time just last week. Here in New York City, we played a crucial role in drafting and negotiating the 2014 Earned Sick Time Act, and have led post enactment advocacy here, shaping the rules and regulations used to enforce the law, doing outreach to inform workers of their rights and offering free legal services to New Yorkers who need them to secure their rights under the law. All of this momentum has helped to bolster the case for the federal Healthy Families Act, which would guarantee workers nationwide the right to earn up to seven paid sick days a year to address their own health needs or to care for a sick family member.
