California sick-day law heads to governor’s desk

Sacramento, CA – Millions of California workers may soon receive paid sick days, following the state legislature’s Aug. 30 passage of a bill (A.B. 1522) requiring employers to provide sick leave.

Gov. Jerry Brown (D) has until the end of September to sign the bill – which he called a “historic action to help hardworking Californians” – into law. If the law is enacted, California will become the second state after Connecticut, which passed a law in 2011, to require paid sick leave.

Beginning July 1, 2015, the California bill would require employers to provide workers with at least three paid sick days a year, and would prohibit employers from terminating or retaliating against workers who use sick days.

A recent report from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research found that 44 percent of workers in California currently do not have paid sick days.

Worker advocates claim paid sick leave can help reduce the risk of workplace injuries and illnesses, but business groups have expressed concern that mandating paid sick leave would lead to increased costs and hurt job growth.