Paid Sick
Days
A common cold or a sore throat can get the best of anyone and such a minor illness shouldn’t be the difference between making the rent or losing a job. However, thousands of Nevada families face this decision, whether they are caring for themselves, their kids, or their loved ones. Statewide, more than 200,000 Nevadans don’t have access to paid sick days; what if there was a national health pandemic?.
We are committed to ensuring every worker has access to paid sick days.
Dee's Lived Experience
"From the age of 21 to 43, I suffered. I just thought it was part of being a woman,” explains Dee. She worked countless jobs with incredible benefits, but never earned paid sick days. “By the time I was off from work, only the emergency rooms were open. I couldn’t afford to take a day off from work; doing so would risk me not being able to make my rent or having groceries,” says Dee. Twenty-two years later, Dee would learn that the pain she learned to live with is endometriosis and fibroid cysts - ailments that would rob her of her ability to have children.
Earned paid sick days are, often, the difference between life and livelihood. Women like Dee shouldn’t be forced to make these decisions.
Our Paid Sick Days Fight
Our current law is a step in the right direction, but not enough - all Nevadans need paid sick days. The law needs to include more days and more people. We need at least seven days so that more families have the access they need to maintain their lives and care for their families, themselves or their loved ones. Also, too many people are still left out. That's why we have to keep fighting, cause we can #DoBetter.
What We've Accomplished
Our unwavering commitment to earned paid sick days is fueled by stories like Dee’s and countless other families throughout Nevada. That's why in 2019, we advocated for and helped pass earned paid sick days for all* Nevadans. The language allows for all employees to earn up to five paid sick days, however, some restrictions apply.
If you work for an employer with 50 or less employees, the law doesn’t apply to you. As well, if you work for a business that provides at least five days of paid time off (i.e. holidays), the law doesn’t apply to you. That’s why we have to keep fighting.
