Congressional Republicans are still standing in the way of American workers getting the paid sick leave that is standard in other developed countries, but President Obama is extending paid leave to hundreds of thousands of federal contract workers with an executive order signed on Labor Day. According to a
White House fact sheet, the order, which goes into effect in 2017, will:
- Give approximately 300,000 people working on federal contracts the new ability to earn up to seven days of paid sick leave each year. Additional workers will gain access to more sick leave than they had before. Beginning with new contracts in 2017, workers will earn a minimum of one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked (though contractors would be free to offer more generous amounts at their discretion);
- Allow workers to use paid sick leave to care for themselves, a family member, such as a child, parent, spouse, or domestic partner, or another loved one, as well as for absences resulting from domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking[.]
Currently four states—Connecticut, California, Massachusetts, and Oregon—and the District of Columbia have paid sick leave laws, as do nearly 20 cities and towns. We can hope that by the time Obama's order takes effect, more states and cities will have joined that list, but note that 2017 is after the next president takes office, so this is likely to join the long list of things that Republican candidates are promising to repeal on day one.