Earned Sick Time Referendum Receives Overwhelming Support: Election 2016 Results

Cook County are showing they are overwhelmingly in favor of a state law requiring employers to offer Illinois employees 40 hours of sick leave annually.

With 3,525 of 3,668 voting sites reporting in, 1,612,275 voters cast their ballots for the referendum, and 275,919 voters were against it. Those unofficial voting numbers reflect precincts in Chicago and suburban Cook County.

Although city and county voters might like the idea of earned sick time, this referendum is nonbinding and only advisory.

UPDATED (12:38 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 8)

ORIGINAL STORY

One of the referenda on the Nov. 8 ballot concerns a topic that has been getting quite a bit of attention at the local, county and state level: employee sick days.

Here's a breakdown of the referendum and what it could mean to you.

What's the Referendum Say?

This is the full text of how it will appear on the ballot:

"Shall Illinois enact the Earned Sick Time for Employees Act which will allow Illinois workers to earn up to 40 hours of sick time a year to take care of their own health or a family member's health?"

In a rare victory of clear language being used in a goverment document, the referendum asks voters if the state should require all Illinois employers to provide their employees with sick leave that essentially would amount to five work days. Voting yes means you are in favor of such a mandate.

What Happens If It Passes?

Nothing. The referendum is nonbinding, but state lawmakers can use the results at the polls for advisory purposes, especially if voters overwhelmingly support or reject it.

Why Is It on the Ballot?

As stated earlier, employee sick leave has been a much-discussed topic over past couple years. Last year, Chicago voters approved a similar nonbinding referendum for the city. That led to the creation and passing of an ordinance this summer that requires employers within the city limits to offer up to 40 hours of paid sick time to their workers. The new law goes into effect July 1, 2017.

Following Chicago's lead, Cook County Board of Commissioners approved its own ordinance in October that would cover employees working in the county, including unincorporated areas. This measure, however, has a loophole that allows cities and villages to "opt out" of the ordinance. Palatine, Barrington and Mount Prospect are some of the communities working to become exempt from the new law, which goes into effect next summer.

Finally, the state has addressed the employee sick time issue, too. But not in the same, sweeping way that Chicago and Cook County have. In August, Gov. Bruce Rauner signed off on an law that expands the reasons and instances sick leave can be used by an employee. But only if that worker's employer offers paid sick time already. The act does not require employers in the state to adopt a sick leave policy.

The state law goes into effect Jan. 1, 2017.

photo via Pixabay

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