Pittsburgh to begin "strict enforcement" of Paid Sick Days Act
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Pittsburgh's Office of Equal Protection said it will begin "strict enforcement" of the Paid Sick Days Act.
In a news release on Wednesday, the city said it will enforce the Paid Sick Days Act for businesses in Pittsburgh. The act, which went into effect in March 2020, ensures workers in the city receive paid sick time.
"It's a law that was passed a few years ago by the city of Pittsburgh that requires businesses to provide up to 40 hours every year for their employees to take care of themselves or their families," Zeke Rediker, executive advisor on legal policy and manager of the Office of Equal Protection, told KDKA-TV on Thursday.
The act states, in part, that employers cannot use the use of sick time in performance reviews, fail to allow the use of accrued sick time or threaten to report an employee to law enforcement if they are asking for their mandated sick days.
"It applies to every kind of business, but right now we've been most interested in reaching out to food industry businesses. Those are the jobs that are most likely to be without these protections already," Anne Marie Ellison, compliance coordinator for the city, told KDKA-TV on Thursday.
The city said beginning in "early 2024," the Office of Equal Protection will handle compliance investigations into food service businesses according to zip code, starting in 15201 and 15203. Businesses in other industries are not exempt from the act and should follow all regulations, the release said.
The city says it understands a lot of businesses may not be familiar with the statute and wants to help.
"We hope that businesses are willing to work with us on these kinds of matters," Rediker said. "If they come to us and say will you help us develop a policy, the answer is always yes."
That said, Rediker added that for those who chose to willfully not comply, there will be a price to pay.
"It's $100 per offense, in addition to restitution," Rediker said.
The city has launched a website where people can report non-compliant businesses to the Office of Equal Protection. Click here for more.