Paid Sick Days: How does Connecticut Compare?
Expanding Connecticut’s Paid Sick Days will:
- Cover all workers by removing the employer size threshold and lengthy definition of “service worker” in current law. It would require all employers, regardless of size or industry, to provide paid sick time.
- Bring our eligibility and accrual rate in line with what businesses in our neighboring states provide their workers. Workers will be eligible to use their paid sick time 100 days after employment begins and accrue 1 hour for every 30 hours worked for a minimum of 40 hours of paid sick time per year
- Expand the definition of family to allow workers to take paid sick days to care for a child of any age, spouse, sibling, grandparent, grandchild, or parent. Workers will also be able to take time to care for other loved ones if they are/were the parental figure in their lives or vice versa.
- Extend access to Safe Days so workers can take care of a family member who experiences family violence or sexual assault.
By The Numbers:
The Executive Branch is supportive of the funding for expanding paid sick days!
Carveouts in Connecticut’s current law exclude 88% of our workforce from the guaranteed right to paid sick days
This amounts to 1.6 million workers without the time they need to heal, recover, or care for their families.
How does Connecticut compare across our region on paid sick days?
State: Connecticut (2011)
Employer size: 50 or more
Family Definition:
Can care for spouse and child up to 18
Waiting Period to Take Sick Time:
After working 680 hours and an average of 10 hours/week in the most recent quarter.
Covered Workers and Hours:
Certain service workers can use up to 40 hours per year of paid sick time.
State: Rhode Island (2018)
Employer size: 18 or more
Covered Workers and Hours:
ALL workers can use up to 40 hours per year of paid sick time!
Family Definition:
Can care for an inclusive definition of family
Waiting Period to Take Sick Time:
After 90 days from commencement of employment (waiting period is longer for temporary workers)
State: Massachusetts (2015)
Employer size: 11 or more
Covered Workers and Hours:
ALL workers can use up to 40 hours per year of paid sick time!
Family Definition:
Can care for child, spouse, parent/in-law
Waiting Period to Take Sick Time:
Entitled to use after 90 days from commencement of employment
State: New York (2020)
Employer size: ALL employers
Covered Workers and Hours:
ALL workers can use up to 56 hours per year of paid sick time!
Family Definition:
Can care for an inclusive definition of family
Waiting Period to Take Sick Time:
Entitled to use at the commencement of employment. Paid sick time can used as it is accrued
States that recently passed strong and inclusive paid sick days laws:
- Covers all workers in Colorado
- Provides 48 hours per year + up to 80 hours in the case of a public health emergency
- Inclusive definition of family
- Covers all workers in New Mexico
- Provides 64 hours per year
- Inclusive definition of family