Reproductive Equity Now Statement After Connecticut Legislature Passes Bill to Expand Paid Sick Days

Comprehensive paid sick day policies are an integral component to achieving reproductive equity

HARTFORD, CT (May 7, 2024) — Reproductive Equity Now Connecticut State Director Liz Gustafson released the following statement today after the State Senate passed H.B. 5005 An Act Expanding Paid Sick Days In The State late last night. This bill, which now heads to Governor Ned Lamont’s desk for his signature, will require all employers, regardless of size or industry, to provide paid sick time to their employees; expand the definition of “family” in paid sick leave policy; update paid sick leave accural policy; and extend access to Safe Days, so workers can take care of a family member who experiences family violence, intimate partner violence, or sexual assault.

“We are so grateful for the leadership of She Leads Justice, the Connecticut Working Families Party, members of the Paid Sick Days Coalition, and Senator Julie Kushner for their tireless advocacy to expand paid sick leave to workers across Connecticut. Every person must be able to access the health care they want and need without the risk of losing their job, their pay, or their economic security. Whether a person is taking time to access abortion care, pregnancy care, or preventative care, they deserve access to paid sick time,” said Liz Gustafson, Connecticut State Director of Reproductive Equity Now. “Access to paid sick leave is a matter of public health, and racial, gender, and economic justice. Workers of color—and especially women workers of color—are overrepresented in industries that do not currently provide paid sick days. With last night's passage by the Connecticut Senate, the Legislature is taking a bold step to advance equity and make it clear that our state will always fight to ensure working people can effectively care for themselves, their families, and their loved ones.”

While Connecticut was the first state to require certain employers to provide paid sick days in 2011, the current law only applies to employers with more than 50 employees in certain service occupations. The law currently does not cover workers of employers with fewer than 50 employees, federal employees, certain employees of manufacturers and nonprofit organizations, and temporary or day laborers. 

Currently, workers who are covered are only eligible to use the paid sick time they’ve accrued after they’ve worked 680 hours, making it largely inaccessible to part-time workers. Additionally, workers can only use paid sick time under current law to care for a child up to the age of 18 or a spouse, narrowly defined as husband or wife. The current law does not include time to care for extended or chosen families, and leaves out workers who care for loved ones outside of the traditionally defined “nuclear” family.

Reproductive Equity Now is proud to support the Paid Sick Days Coalition led by She Leads Justice and the Connecticut Working Families Party.

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