Executive Order Mandates Paid Sick Leave by Federal Contractors
The executive order will give approximately 300,000 people working on federal contracts the ability to earn up to seven days of paid sick leave each year.
President Obama has signed an executive order that requires federal contractors to offer their employees up to seven days of paid sick leave per year, according to a White House announcement that said the president also renewed his call on Congress to pass legislation expanding paid sick and family leave and announced new Department of Labor rules giving federal contract workers new tools to demand equal pay.
The executive order will give approximately 300,000 people working on federal contracts the ability to earn up to seven days of paid sick leave each year -- contractors will have to provide at least one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked, although they could offer more than that -- that they can use to care for themselves or a family member, as well as for absences resulting from domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking.
An estimated 44 million private-sector workers, about 40 percent of the total private-sector workforce, do not have access to paid sick leave.