Finally after being introduced almost five years prior, the enforcement of the City of Pittsburgh’s Paid Sick Day Act went into effect on March 15, 2021. This meant that workers who work for businesses within Pittsburgh city-limits were now eligible to acquire paid sick time. As much of a victory as this was for many, there are still workers who call themselves Pittsburghers who live and work in Allegheny County and still do not have access to paid sick days.
At present, Allegheny County’s Board of Health proposed an Allegheny County Health Department regulation that would allow those who work for employers with 26 or more employees to accrue at least 40 hours of paid sick time in a calendar year based on the number of hours the employee works within Allegheny County. The paid sick time may be used for the care of the employee or the employee’s family members. The proposed regulation also prohibits employers from retaliating against employees who use paid sick time.
Unfortunately, the regulation in its current form will leave out many workers, including those who work at restaurants, bars, and cafes. As we have learned from the pandemic, illness will spread in these spaces and it doesn’t care if a business is big or small.