States increasingly require employers to provide paid sick leave— but even more states block local paid sick policies

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/942313

 

 News Release 10-Feb-2022
States increasingly require employers to provide paid sick leave— but even more states block local paid sick policies
No federal regulation and uneven state paid sick leave laws put workers in certain states and industries at risk
Peer-Reviewed Publication
New York University

 

More than a quarter of U.S. jobs are guaranteed paid sick leave thanks to state laws enacted over the past decade, according to a new study from researchers at NYU School of Global Public Health. Twelve states have passed laws requiring employers to provide sick leave as of 2020.

 

However, a growing number of states without paid sick leave laws prohibit local governments in their states from creating their own sick leave regulations, worsening inequities given the lack of universal coverage by employers.

 

Providing sick employees paid time off helps workers seek medical care, recover from illness more quickly, and is even linked to a lower risk of death. Paid sick leave also benefits employers—allowing people to stay home when sick limits the spread of infectious diseases in the workplace, as outbreaks can lead to widespread absenteeism and lost productivity.

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 The United States is one of few high-income countries without a national law guaranteeing paid sick leave, funded by either employers or the state. Most U.S. workers rely on their employers for paid sick leave; 77 percent of the private workforce and 92 percent of government workers are covered this way. But paid sick leave is uneven across industries, with 

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