The Washington state Senate today unanimously passed SB 5111, legislation sponsored by Sen. Karen Keiser (D-Des Moines) to help short-term construction workers accrue paid sick leave.
“When voters passed Initiative 1433, they said they expect Washington workers to get paid sick leave. It’s fair, it’s right, and it’s what the voters want. Unfortunately, there are some workers for whom that hasn’t been the reality,” said Keiser. “All workers deserve the paid sick leave they worked for and earned, and this bill will help close the gap between our values and the execution of the law.”
Currently, many construction workers with short-term jobs can never use paid sick leave even when working full time because they don’t meet the threshold to take leave, which is 90 days with a single employer. Apprentice construction workers often move from employer to employer by design as a part of their training and never meet the 90-day threshold.
The bill would require that construction workers who don’t work for a single employer for 90 days be paid out the balance of the paid sick leave time they accrued and were unable to use – one hour of sick leave for every 40 hours worked. The bill would also require collective bargaining agreements to align with this early payout standard.
The bill now goes to the House for consideration.
