title
Ordinance supplementing the Pittsburgh Code, Title VI, Article 1, to add a new Section 626, "Paid
Sick Days Act," to improve the public health by granting Paid
Sick Time to employees in the city of Pittsburgh.
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WHEREAS, as the City of the Pittsburgh strives to be a "Most Livable City," it is incumbent upon the City to promote policies that are in the best interest of its citizens, including policies that promote the health and wellbeing of Pittsburgh residents;
WHEREAS, approximately 40 percent of the City of Pittsburgh's private sector workers do not have access to paid
sick time, while approximately 77 percent of the City's service workers, especially food service workers and healthcare workers, lack access to paid
sick time; and
WHEREAS, many of the workforce members who lack access to paid
sick days frequently have contact with the general public, posing a high public health risk and increasing the likelihood of transmission of communicable illnesses. Furthermore, research from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center shows that access to paid
sick leave in Pittsburgh can result in decreased transmission rates for influenza; and
WHEREAS, the introduction of paid
sick time to the City of Pittsburgh's economy would result in benefits enjoyed by both employees and employers, as studies repeatedly demonstrate that employees who have access to paid
sick time are more productive and less likely to come to work ill and unfit to perform their job as effectively and efficiently as possible, while also reducing the likelihood transmitting illnesses to coworkers. Additionally, paid
sick time policies are shown to both reduce employee turnover and strengthen employee loyalty; and
WHEREAS, access to paid
sick days further benefits children, as it affords parents the time to tend to their
sick children without sacrificing a day's pay, thereby helping to prevent delayed medical treatment to children and possible hospitalizations; and
WHEREAS, providing ...
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