Today, thanks to advocates like you, Nebraska workers will begin accruing paid sick leave through the Nebraska Healthy Families & Workplaces Act (Initiative 436), which was approved by nearly 75% of Nebraska voters last November.
This new law gives over 100,000 Nebraskans the right to earn paid sick leave after 80 hours of consecutive employment, at which point workers will begin to accrue a minimum of one hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours worked:
- Workers whose employers have 11-19 employees earn 40 hours of paid sick time in a year.
- Workers whose employers have 20 or more employees earn 56 hours of paid sick time in a year.
Though Nebraskans voted to provide paid sick leave for all workers in Nebraska, new restrictions were added to the voter-approved law by the Nebraska Legislature this spring through ❌ LB415, which removed paid sick leave protections from 140,000 Nebraska workers, including seasonal and temporary agricultural workers, workers under the age of 16, and those who work for businesses with 10 or fewer employees. These hardworking Nebraskans will continue making the difficult decision of earning a paycheck and caring for their families and health.
While we are disappointed that the Legislature chose to significantly weaken this voter-approved law, we are celebrating that so many hardworking Nebraskans no longer have to choose between paying their bills or caring for their health.
Thank you for being a part of our collective efforts to ensure that ALL working families in Nebraska can thrive!