Senate Minority Leader Jim Ananich (D-Flint), State Representatives Stephanie Chang (D-Detroit) and Erika Geiss (D-Taylor) announced at a press conference Wednesday that they are introducing a bill that would allow workers to take earned paid time off to recover from illness or care for sick family member.
The bill would require employers to allow workers to accrue one hour of sick leave for every 30 hours they work.
Christina Hayes, a Detroit mother, is an example of someone who would benefit from the bill .
"I am a Lupus survivor," Hayes said. " I fight an extreme struggle with pain every day .... it has effected me greatly."
Hayes like thousands of other Michiganders are worried about losing a day's pay due to sickness or sick family members.
She says we are all human beings and there should be some type of care for hard working Americans.
State Rep. Stephanie Chang agrees.
"This bill that we are reintroducing this session is basically to make sure every single worker can take time off work to get better or to take care of loved ones," she said.
" For the many Michigan residents who can't afford to lose a day's wages, earned sick leave provides the opportunity to get better without jeopardizing their jobs," Sen. Ananich said. "We know that happy and healthy employees are more productive in the workplace - when workers can stay home to get better, everyone wins."
Some highlights of the bill are:
- Require employers to set aside one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours an employee works, regardless of whether an employee is part-time or full-time.
- Stipulate when a worker could use this earned time off, including during their own illness, the illness of a close family member or recovery after a violent crime.
- Protect all Michigan families, including LGBT families, grandparents, raising children, domestic partners raising children and single- parent families.
According to the Michigan League for Public Policy, there are currently five states and Washington, D.C., that have sick leave laws. Connecticut became the first state to pass a sick leave law.
In 2015, California and Massachusetts followed.
Oregon's law took effect in 2016, and Vermont followed in January of this year.
Opponents of the bill say the law raises the cost of doing business, forces employers to cut wages, and reduces the number of hours employees work.
The Michigan Chamber of Commerce also opposes the "one size fits all" paid leave mandate.
They say it is tough on tourism, hospitality, and retail fields because they rely on part-time workers.
