about the issues

Making Workplaces Fairer
Illinois Paid Leave Coalition

Sign our petition. Support paid sick days in Illinois.

44 million American workers lack paid sick days. Too many of these workers can't afford to take time off to handle their own illness, that of a family member, or to care for a new child. Kids and families suffer when they don't get the medical care they need. Business productivity suffers too.

Illinois employers are not required to provide any paid time off, and 77 percent of the lowest-wage workers have no paid sick leave at all.

Like our Illinois Needs Paid Sick Days page on Facebook!

Join our efforts

Women Employed is leading the Illinois Paid Leave Coalition to enact paid sick days.

Learn more about our paid sick days proposal for Illinois.
Urge your legislators to support the Healthy Workplace Act.
Share your own story about how paid leave would help your family or business.
Read stories from workers, advocates, and moms nationwide about the need for paid sick days.
Take our new two-minute survey to share information about your paid sick days policy.

The proposed Healthy Workplace Act, SB0128, will:

Allow employees to earn up to 7 paid sick days per year, accrued hourly for every 30 hours worked.
Provide leave: 1) for an employee's own illness; 2) to care for the illness of an employee's family member; or 3) for medical appointments.
Require employers who do not already provide at least 7 paid sick days to pay for this standard employment benefit when needed by their workers.

For more information or to join Illinois' Paid Leave Coalition, please contact Melissa Josephs.

Research Shows Paid Sick Days Could Save Employers Millions
A new report by the Institute for Women's Policy Research (IWPR) shows that offering paid sick days would benefit not just Illinois workers, but would also save their employers millions. Download the executive summary.

The Illinois Paid Leave Coalition is one of fourteen partners in the Family Values @ Work consortium, a national movement of grassroots state coalitions and policy experts fighting for paid time to care. For more information on FVAW's advocacy for paid sick days and paid family leave insurance, please visit familyvaluesatwork.org.

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