A proposal by Illinois Sen. Toi Hutchinson (D-Chicago Heights) would provide up to seven paid sick days per year to full-time and part-time employees.
Hutchinson said workers would earn an hour of sick time for every 30 hours worked. If Senate Bill 2147 is approved, Illinois would become the sixth state to require some form of paid sick time.
Nearly 45 percent of private sector workers in Illinois do not receive a single paid sick day.
“Far too many Illinois workers are living paycheck to paycheck unable to afford taking just one day off,” Hutchinson said. “We’re an outlier when you look at every other industrialized country in the world.”
The senator points to numerous studies of the direct benefits gained by offering workers paid sick leave, including a workforce that is overall healthier and more productive.
