New York City Employees Granted Sick Leave

Employees in New York City cannot be fired for taking a day off because of sickness. From April 1, 2014, employees working in New York City for a company that employs five or more people are entitled to paid sick leave. Employees who work for a company that employs fewer than five people are still entitled to unpaid sick leave. The ETSA (Earned Sick Time Act) covers all employees, including exempt employees such as executives and professionals. The ESTA provides forty hours of sick leave per year and any unused sick pay is either carried over into the next year or paid to you by the company. Sick leave may be used for: the employee’s illness, a family member’s illness, a public health emergency, or to care for a child whose school has been closed because of a public health emergency. This new act will greatly expand the rights of employees in New York City and, most importantly, one more law that helps employees dealing with illness.