Last week, the Pittsburgh City Council passed the Paid Sick Days Act (the Act), which Mayor Bill Peduto is projected to sign into law shortly. The Act is expected to become effective 90 days after the mayor signs it and the city has published all notices, regulations and other associated materials required by law.
Although the Act has yet to be enacted into law, it is anticipated that it will require all private Pittsburgh employers to provide certain paid sick leave benefits for employees, as follows:
- Employers with 15 or more employees will be required to provide workers with up to 40 hours of paid sick time per year
- Employers with fewer than 15 employees will be required to provide workers with up to 24 hours of sick time per year – time that may be unpaid for the first year following the Act’s effective date, but must be paid for all years thereafter
The Act is also expected to include various prohibitions against retaliation and discrimination against employees who take sick time, or who otherwise exercise their rights, under the Act, as well as new notice and record-keeping requirements for employers.
With this Act, Pittsburgh will join several other states and cities throughout the United States that have adopted similar laws mandating paid employee sick time benefits.
We will publish more complete information about this coming law, including what employers must do to prepare for compliance, once the Act is enacted. Should you have any questions about the Act before then, please contact one of the Labor & Employment attorneys in Reed Smith’s Pittsburgh office.