President Obama signed a new Executive Order on Monday,
requiring federal contractors to grant paid sick leave to their
workers beginning in 2017. The Order is expected to affect
300,000 employees, all of whom will receive one hour of paid leave
for every 30 hours worked, up to seven days each year.
Accrued leave may be used for absences due to illness, as well as
time off related to domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and
to care for family members.
The Executive Order is modeled after the Healthy Families
Act—a bill that would require all employers with 15 or more
employees to grant annual paid sick leave. President Obama
announced his Executive Order at a Labor Day breakfast and rally in
Boston where he simultaneously called on Congress to pass the
Healthy Families Act. Lawmakers, however, acknowledge the
bill is unlikely to become law, as critics oppose the bill's
cost implications.
