- 1.7 million workers in Michigan are estimated to be without access to sick leave due to changes made to the Paid Medical Leave Act during the Lame Duck period of 2018.
- Changes made by the Republican-led Legislature altered the original ballot initiative language that more than 380,000 voters signed in support.
- Under current law, eligible employees accrue one hour of sick time for every 35 hours worked, with a cap at 40 hours of earned sick time per year.
LANSING, Mich., March 11, 2020 — State Rep. Padma Kuppa (D-Troy) introduced House Bill 5628 today to restore the right of Michigan workers to earn and use sick time for personal or family health needs, citing the devastating impact Michigan workers may face if they or their family member becomes ill.
The bill would restore the significant cuts made by the Republican-led Legislature to Michigan’s Paid Medical Leave Act in the final days of session at the end of 2018. Despite the first cases of COVID-19 virus being diagnosed in Michigan this week, it was estimated that nearly 1.7 million workers in the state are unable to utilize paid sick time due to the action taken in 2018. Self-distancing tactics intended to slow the spread of the virus will be made much more difficult for workers and their family members unable to stay home from work in communities across Michigan.
“Paid sick time is critical for working families across Michigan, especially with COVID-19 on our doorstep,” said Kuppa. “Without the ability for our workers to stay home when they are sick, it can become a health concern for us all. The spread of this virus once again reinforces our need for immediate action on this issue.”
Kuppa’s bill would require employers to provide a minimum of one hour of earned sick time for every 30 hours worked for their employees capped at 72 hours of earned sick time per year, instead of the current accrual rate of one hour for every 35 hours worked with a cap at 40 hours of earned sick time per year.