Thread by @c_thesavage

Joan Van, single mom of 3 who works full-time for an int'l hotel brand & has no paid leave of any kind, works doubles to make up the $ when she or her kids gets sick.

“You can’t let your kids see you break down because you’re tired and exhausted... you gotta keep pushing." 🧵

Sometimes, she works triples to make things work. "I'm short," she told me, voice breaking. And if she doesn't push through for her kids, no one else will, she said.

But expansive #Illinois paid leave legislation ready for action by @GovPritzker, who said he will sign it, would make a big difference for her.

Under it, Illinois employers must give workers paid time off, to be used for any reason, starting Jan. 1.

Employees would accrue one hour of leave for every 40 hours worked, up to 40 hours (although employers may offer more) & employees can start using the time after 90 days.

Mandating paid vacation is rare in the U.S. — just Maine and Nevada have similar laws — although it's super common in other industrialized nations.

14 states and D.C. require paid sick leave via similar laws, although employees may only use it for health-related issues.

Critics of the bill are concerned the requirement would place an additional burden on small businesses already struggling to survive under harsh economic conditions.

"The message from Illinois lawmakers is loud and clear, ‘Your small business isn’t essential,’” said National Federation of Independent Business state director Chris Davis in a statement following the bill’s passage.

For Leslie Allison-Seei, who runs @Robust_Promos with her husband in Villa Park, taking care of their 3 full-time workers is a priority, but it's hard to compete with corporate PTO policies. “I think a lot of businesses are just doing the very best that they can to stay afloat.”

“We’re thrilled that this is getting passed and that it’s going to be signed," Aliison-Seei said.

"But it’s also a little bit frightening because, you know, a week’s worth of time — I don’t know what that would do to our business."

To Joan Van, the food service worker for a global hotel company, a guaranteed paid workweek off would help alleviate her stress and reduce financial burdens.

"That would be awesome," she said.

According to @amprog senior fellow Molly Weston Williamson, paid leave is both a labor rights and a public health issue.

Service workers (like Van) who handle food & beverage without PTO are more likely to go to work sick and send their kids to day care sick, Williamson said.

“Especially now that we are three-plus years into a global pandemic, I think all of us have a much more visceral understanding of the ways that all of our health is tied together,” Williamson said, calling the Illinois legislation “a huge step in the right direction.”

Read the full story to get a handle on the scope of the legislation and its exceptions:

apnews.com/article/nevada…
for @AP/@Report4America

Thank you to policy guru @sarah_labadie of @WomenEmployed, who patiently walked me through the finer details of this legislation, and the talented @erinhooley, who made beautiful photos and went out of her way to help make this story the best it could be 📸👩‍💻