Morristown Upholds Sick Day Measure

MORRISTOWN, NJ — The Morristown town council voted Tuesday night to uphold the earned sick day ordinance as was passed in Sept. 2016.

Opponents of the sick day ordinance wanted to exclude per-diem and temporary workers from acquiring sick time pay. The council voted that exclusion down at Tuesday night's meeting.

“Morristown has always prioritized the rights of working families and we don't plan on turning our backs,” said Morristown Mayor Tim Dougherty. “I am proud with the council’s decision to hold firm on the current measure. Earned sick days is one of the most important public health issues in the state and every worker in Morristown deserves paid sick days.”

Morristown was the first Morris County town and 11th in the state to pass an earned sick time law. According to the Center for Women and Work at Rutgers University, 4,600 workers in Morristown did not have paid sick time before it was passed.

“It is critical for Morristown, in fact the entire state, for all workers to have access to the time they need to care for themselves and their loved ones,” said Analilia Mejia, Director of New Jersey Working Families. “Cherry picking which workers may have the right to earn sick days negatively impacts communities, public health, as well as exacerbates income inequality. We laud the Morristown Council and Mayor Dougherty for standing up for what's right for workers, businesses and the state.”

Under the law, private-sector workers earn one hour of sick time for every 30 hours worked. The cap of yearly sick days is either five or three days, depending on the size of the business (food service and daycare workers are exempt from the cap and all earn five, regardless of company size).

Many private business owners spoke out against the ordinance before it was passed, saying employees could abuse the system or that being forced to pay for time off could hurt companies.

Image via NJ Working Families