Connecticut has become the only state to require employers to provide paid sick leave to  employees. On July 1, 2011, Governor Dannel Malloy signed into law Public Act No. 11-52, An Act Mandating Employers Provide Paid Sick Leave to Employees.   

Beginning January 1, 2012, a covered employer must provide paid sick leave annually to each of its service workers in Connecticut at a rate of one hour of paid sick leave for each 40 hours worked, accrued in one-hour increments, to a maximum of 40 hours per calendar year. For service workers hired after January 1, 2012, the accrual begins on the service worker’s date of employment. The law also bars covered employers from retaliating against any employee for taking sick leave under this law or under the employer’s own paid sick leave policy.

We have analyzed the law through a series of Questions and Answers. The law leaves many questions unanswered. They include the integration of this law with the ADA, the FMLA, the Connecticut FMLA, and Connecticut law prohibiting disability discrimination.