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These legislative victories are proof the paid sick days movement is gaining significant traction and that the tipping point for a national policy is soon near. Yet even as we celebrate a decade of tremendous progress, today more than 34 million private sector workers cannot earn a single paid sick day.
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Today, working people and advocates for fairer workplaces are marking Implementation Day to celebrate the anniversaries of paid sick days and paid family and medical leave laws across the country.
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A Subversion of Democracy

Vicki Shabo | January 3, 2019

Last month, Gov. Rick Snyder dealt a blow to democracy by gutting the state’s paid sick time law. This was just one of the intentional subversions of democratic process that occurred in Michigan and Wisconsin in the lame duck sessions.
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A record number of people in this country – 71 percent of private sector workers – now have access to paid sick days, but shameful disparities continue.
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Paid Sick Days Promote Women’s Health

Alex Baptiste, National Partnership | May 16, 2018

As we mark National Women’s Health Week, it’s important to remember that millions of women cannot earn paid sick days, which would help them care for themselves and their families.
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Today, Gov. Phil Murphy signed the Earned Sick and Safe Days Act, making New Jersey the 10th state to enact a paid sick days law and extending the right to earn paid sick days to an additional 1.2 million workers.
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The Austin City Council approved a paid sick days ordinance this week. When signed into law, the new measure will guarantee paid sick days for more than 210,000 Austinites who currently cannot earn such time.
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The Maryland legislature voted to override Gov. Larry Hogan’s veto of the Healthy Working Families Act this week, which means Maryland will soon become the ninth state with a paid sick days law. Hundreds of thousands of Marylanders will gain access to paid sick days.
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Federal lawmakers seek to thwart paid sick days progress and undermine state and local victories through a new bill introduced this week. Contrary to proponents’ claims, the so-called Workflex in the 21st Century Act – H.R. 4219 – would not guarantee paid sick days and could actually make it less certain that working people have the sick time they need.
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World Mental Health Day offers an opportunity to break down the stigma surrounding mental illness. It is also a reminder of the need to promote policies, such as paid sick days, that would help those living with a mental illness.
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Gov. Gina Raimondo signed the Healthy and Safe Families and Workplaces Act today, making Rhode Island the eighth state to enact a paid sick days law and bringing the national total to 40 jurisdictions with such laws nationwide. Some 100,000 Rhode Islanders will gain the right to earn paid sick time when the law takes effect in July.
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For kids, heading back to school can be an anxious and exciting time – figuring out new routines, adjusting to different teachers and classmates and navigating changes in social and academic environments... Employed parents stress about changes too, but the millions of moms, dads and caregivers without paid sick time also have to worry about cold and flu season and what will happen if their kids get sick.
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Historic Progress: 68 Percent of Private Sector Workers Now Have Paid Sick Days

Alex Baptiste, National Partnership | July 24, 2017

New government data show that, in just two years, the share of people working for private sector businesses in the United States who can earn paid sick time has increased dramatically – to nearly 79 million private sector workers.
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Reasons to Celebrate: New Paid Sick Days Laws, Anniversaries and Growing Support

Sarah Fleisch Fink and Alex Baptiste, National Partnership | July 6, 2017

As summer officially kicks off and state legislative sessions come to a close, there's much to celebrate in the effort to increase access to paid sick days. Five new laws that will guarantee nearly two million more workers the right to earn paid sick time took effect July 1.
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The Maryland Senate has approved a statewide paid sick days standard, bringing the state the closest it has ever been to joining the nearly 40 jurisdictions across the country with paid sick days laws. This is a historic advance for Marylanders, as well as advocates and lawmakers who have been working for years to secure such a standard.
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Data from a new national survey reveal seven in 10 women working in the fast food industry say they have gone to work with symptoms of illness. Only 14 percent of women in the industry, and a mere 6 percent of women who are paid less than $9 per hour, say they have access to paid sick days.
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Voters in Arizona and Washington Choose Paid Sick Days

Vicki Shabo | November 16, 2016

Capping off an already historic year of progress for paid sick days, voters in Arizona and Washington approved ballot measures last week that will mean the nation will soon have seven statewide paid sick days laws. Thirty-nine jurisdictions now do – or will soon – guarantee workers the right to earn paid sick time, and efforts to protect and build upon these victories has become even more important.
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Affordable Health Care and Paid Sick Days Go Hand in Hand

National Partnership Staff | November 4, 2016

This week marks the start of open enrollment under the Affordable Care Act – a historic advance that has made more affordable, comprehensive health insurance coverage available to millions more consumers. But increasing access to health coverage addresses only one barrier to health care in this country. Paid sick days access is essential too.
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The St. Paul City Council unanimously approved a paid sick days ordinance on September 7. When fully implemented, the law will guarantee approximately 68,300 additional private sector workers in the city the right to earn paid sick time. This is the second paid sick days win in Minnesota this year, following Minneapolis’s victory in May. Advocates now have their sights set on making Duluth next.
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New data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reveal that the tireless work of paid sick days advocates and thoughtful lawmakers across the country is making a real difference. Sixty-four percent of private sector workers can now earn paid sick time, compared to 61 percent in 2015. That is the highest share on record – and it means millions more workers have gained access to paid sick days.
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