New law would directly benefit more than 500,000 New Yorkers who currently get no days off
Mayor Bill de Blasio today proposed that New York City become the first city in the nation to mandate Paid Personal Time for workers. More than 500,000 full- and part-time employees in New York City currently have no paid time off. The Mayor will pursue local legislation that would require private employers with five or more employees to offer 10 annual days of Paid Personal Time, allowing employees to take paid time off for any purpose, including vacation, religious observances, bereavement and time with family. The legislation would guarantee this time for approximately 3.4 million New Yorkers.
“Workers across the nation have been working too hard without enough time to rest and recharge or enough time for family and important life events. Every other major nation recognizes the necessity of Paid Personal Time. We as a country must get there, and New York City will lead the way," said Mayor Bill de Blasio. "To be the fairest big city in America, New Yorkers can't be forced to choose between bringing home a paycheck and taking time off to just disconnect or spend time with loved ones – that choice ends with Paid Personal Time. I look forward to working with Council Speaker Corey Johnson and the rest of City Council on this important piece of legislation.”
“Here in United States, we have fewer days off than anywhere else in the world – time that increases productivity and improves mental and physical health,” said Department of Consumer Affairs Commissioner Lorelei Salas. “Here in New York City, we are one of the leading jurisdictions in creating the right to sick leave, which we then expanded last year to broaden the definition of family and to add safe leave for victims of domestic and sexual abuse. Today we yet again pave the path towards a new generation of workers’ rights that meet the needs and realities of today’s workforce with the right to paid time off – a win-win for workers, employers and our economy.”
The policy is expected to benefit New Yorkers in a wide range of industries who currently receive no paid personal time, including 180,000 workers in professional services, 90,000 in retail, and 200,000 in the hotel and food service sectors. The City already provides government employees with more than two weeks of Paid Personal Leave per year.
Research has shown that paid-time off helps increase productivity, strengthens families, helps prevent burnout and improves employee retention. The United States is the only industrialized nation that does not mandate any paid time off, including paid holidays. Nationally, one in four full-time, middle-income workers gets no paid time off at all.
The Mayor’s proposal calls for a maximum of 10 days of Paid Personal Time per year and covers employers with five or more employees – the same universe of businesses covered by the Mayor’s 2014 legislation expanding Paid Sick Leave. Employees would be able to access the benefit after 120 days of employment. Any unused Paid Personal Time could be carried over to the following year for a total maximum of 10 days of Paid Personal Time. Employers could require up to 2 weeks’ notice and have reasonable exceptions for granting leave to prevent too many workers from taking simultaneous leave. This benefit would be offered in addition to the 5 days of Paid Sick Leave that became law in 2014. Similar to Paid Sick Leave, the de Blasio Administration will work with the City Council to make Paid Personal Time a reality.
New York City’s economy has never been stronger. The City reached 4.5 million jobs for the first time in its history. And over the last year, New York City experienced the lowest unemployment rate since 1976.
No comments:
Post a Comment