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Legislature Passes Bill To Extend Earned Sick Leave to Over 1 Million New Jerseyans

Legislation will help workers, families and businesses across the state.

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Published on Apr 12, 2018 in Economic Justice

Today, New Jersey achieved a huge victory in supporting workers, families and businesses by passing legislation (S-2171) that will extend earned sick leave to over one million employees. No longer will workers have to choose between staying home to get well – losing a day’s worth of pay if not their job in the process – and going to work, which would put their colleagues and the public at risk for infection. As a result of this legislation, public health and worker productivity will improve, and the state’s economy will be made more resilient.

Currently, about seven out of ten workers in New Jersey already have access to earned sick leave. Making sure that this benefit is extended to just about everyone is simply common-sense and shows that New Jersey believes in supporting family values. It’s a terrible thing when a worker, especially parents with sick children, have to make the difficult choice of going to work or staying home and getting healthy. It’s nice to now say that workers don’t have to choose between their health or the health of their family and their job.

Businesses will benefit from this legislation as workers with access to earned sick leave are more productive and engage in less turnover. Businesses that don’t currently offer earned sick leave would experience savings and reduced costs after implementing this policy. Of the workers who don’t currently have access to earned sick leave, a significant share work in food and retail industries, meaning they interact with the public. Making sure that employees in those sectors have the ability to stay home and get well instead of being forced to go to work will benefit public health and is expected to help cut down on the number of viral outbreaks.

Author

  • Brandon McKoy, President, is the chief executive of NJPP and leads the organization's efforts in shaping policy debates to advance economic justice for the many, not a chosen few. Prior to being named President of NJPP in February 2019, Brandon served as NJPP's Director of Government and Public Affairs, where he designed and implemented the organization's outreach, advocacy, and government relations activities. He also produces timely, credible and accessible research and analysis on issues including, but not limited to, economic security, the social safety net and economic opportunity.

    Brandon’s research interests include: state tax policy, the minimum wage, paid sick leave, the earned income tax credit, urban planning and criminal justice.

    Before joining NJPP in August 2014 as a national fellow under the State Priorities Partnership’s and Center on Budget and Policy Priorities’ state policy fellowship program, Brandon worked as a Program Associate at The Fund for New Jersey, where he assisted in grantmaking on public policy issues that particularly affect low-income and minority populations in New Jersey. He also worked as an AmeriCorps VISTA at HANDS, Inc., a community development corporation in New Jersey, where he worked to mitigate the negative impact of foreclosures and increase citizen participation in local decision-making.

    Brandon formerly served as the Deputy Chapter Director of New Leaders Council – New Jersey and is an alumnus of the 2013 fellows class. He currently serves on the board of the New Jersey Work Environment Council, Shelterforce and the I Am Trenton Community Foundation. He received a MA in City & Regional Planning and Policy Development from Rutgers University’s Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy and holds a BS degree in Social Psychology from The College of New Jersey.

    Email: mckoy (at) njpp.org | Phone: 609-393-1145 ext. 14


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