Westchester County Executive Latimer Signs Historic Sick Leave Bill Backed by TWU

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12 --  TWU Local 100 President Tony Utano released the following statement after Westchester County Executive George Latimer signed the Earned Paid Sick Leave Law:

"This a big win for TWU Local 100 members working in Westchester. The Earned Paid Sick Time Law mandates companies to provide workers with paid sick time off – for up to 40 hours a year (as long as they have worked the required amount of time during the year.)  Under the law, employees earn one hour of paid sick time off for every 30 hours worked. After working 150 hours, for example, an employee would be eligible to get paid for 5 hours of sick time. After working 240 hours, an employee would be able to call in sick and get paid for an 8-hour shift. The employer can’t require scheduling such time off days in advance. What this means for you is that the terms of the law will be implemented during the next contract with your employer.

"TWU Local 100, however, retains the right to bargain other benefit(s) during negotiations – on terms that benefit TWU’s membership.  As new contracts are negotiated, the benefits of this law will be taken into account. Some Local 100 contracts already have paid days off that workers can take without advance notice or scheduling (sick day, floating holiday, etc). The new law says that unscheduled paid time off counts towards the earned sick leave requirement. Local 100 fought hard for the passage of this law. It will help working people throughout Westchester County, not just TWU members.  This new law is another example of how the TWU’s commitment to working people extends beyond Local 100’s membership and helps those who may become our members in the future."