California Passes Supplemental Paid Sick Leave Law to Protect Workers and the Public During COVID-19

Sketch of covid-19 virus particles

On March 19th, Governor Newsom signed California’s COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave Law (SB 95).  We are happy to share that the law gives many workers access to two weeks of paid sick leave, dating back to January 1, 2021.

Before the law’s passage, many workers had access to only three days of paid sick leave, which was insufficient time to prevent the spread of COVID-19. As a result, workers who had symptoms or who had been exposed to COVID-19 had to choose between going to work and risking others’ safety or staying home and risking their job and pay.

Thankfully, the new law provides California employees with two weeks of paid sick leave when they cannot work for reasons related to COVID-19, including family care, child care, vaccination, and recovery from vaccination. Those who work for an employer with more than 25 employees are covered.

To find out more details about the law, including authorized reasons for taking leave related to COVID-19, please view LAAW’s Fact Sheet on the Covid-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave Law.

Many workers and a broad coalition of organizations pushed for this much-needed legislation, including Legal Aid at Work, the California Labor Federation, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) California, the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) Western States Council, the California Employment Lawyers Association (CELA), and the California Work and Family Coalition. We are grateful for this important step forward to safeguard the health and economic security of workers, their families, and the general public.

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