CHICAGO – To help working men and women take care of themselves and their families when they fall ill, state Rep. Arthur Turner, D-Chicago, supported legislation requiring employers to provide minimum paid sick time for their employees.

“When you aren’t feeling well the last thing that you want to do is go to work and put yourself and others at risk of getting sick,” Turner said. “However, many members of our community do not have the ability to take time off if they are sick because they are afraid that they will lose their job or simply can’t afford not to work.”

Turner sponsored House Bill 2771, which requires all employers in Illinois to provide a minimum of five paid sick days a year for all of their employees. Workers would not begin to accrue sick time until they have worked a minimum of 180 days for the company. Employees would be paid their hourly rate for the time they are not able to work. If part of the employees pay relies on gratuity, then the employee would be paid the rate of Illinois’ minimum wage.

“Most often the employees who are not able to take time off to take of themselves or their family are people who work minimum wage jobs,” Turner said. “These individuals work every day to provide for their families the best they can and they should have the same ability to take time off if they are sick as other employees. We need to keep fighting to bring more equality into the workplace.”

For more information for this or other pieces of legislation Turner is working on, please contact his constituent service office at 312-277-4700 or arthurt@ilga.gov.