Today, Nebraska advocates filed a ballot initiative for the November 2024 election to require all businesses to offer paid sick leave to employees.
No one should have to choose between their paycheck and their health.
And yet over 250,000 Nebraskans have to make the hard choice between caring for themselves or a loved one, and paying the bills.
Paid sick leave is good for workers. It’s good for families. It’s good for Nebraska.
The initiative would require businesses with less than 20 employees to provide at least 5 paid sick days per year (40 hours). Businesses with 20 or more employees would provide at least 7 paid sick days per year (56 hours).
This initiative builds off of the momentum Nebraska voters have made in recent years:
- Expanding Medicaid coverage
- Ending predatory payday lending
- Raising Nebraska’s minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2026 and indexing it to cost of living adjustments
Once the ballot initiative is approved by the Secretary of State, Appleseed will participate with a statewide coalition to collect the required signatures by the July 2024 deadline.
Through this initiative, we’ll continue to fight for the promises made to essential workers during the pandemic: essential work demands essential pay and benefits.