DeLauro, Scott Statement on Paid Sick Leave for Workers on Federal Contracts
WASHINGTON, DC (September 29, 2016) — Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) and Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), Ranking Members of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health And Human Services, and Education and the Committee on Education and the Workforce respectively, issued the following statement after the U.S. Department of Labor released the final rule to provide paid sick leave for workers on federal contracts. The new rule will provide additional paid sick leave to an estimated 1.15 million people working on federal contractors, including an estimated 600,000 employees who currently receive no paid sick leave.
“We applaud the Department of Labor for their diligent and thorough work to finalize the paid sick leave rule for federal contractors. Under this new rule, people working on federal contracts will now accrue one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked—up to seven days (56 hours) in a year. Today’s rule puts families first and ensures that federal contract workers will be paid when they take time to recover from an illness or to care for family.
“While hundreds of thousands of federal contractors will benefit from this new rule, an estimated 41 million Americans go to work each day without the safety net of paid sick leave. Being the only advanced country in the world that does not guarantee paid sick leave is not a badge of honor, it is a call to action and an opportunity to lead. Congress must now take action to advance the goal of this rule by passing the Healthy Families Act. We must do our part to level the playing field for all of our nation’s working families as they try to get ahead.”
Overview and Summary: Paid Sick Leave for Workers on Federal Contracts