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Payne, Jr. Calls for National Paid Sick Leave Policy

May 20, 2016

Newark, N.J. – Congressman Donald M. Payne, Jr. (NJ-10) today participated in a press conference, held by the New Jersey Time to Care Coalition at Rutgers School of Law-Newark, to celebrate paid sick days successes in New Jersey and to urge Congress to enact national paid sick leave legislation. The event was part of a National Week of Action on Paid Sick Leave.

The press conference was attended by U.S. Senator Cory Booker; local elected officials, including East Orange Mayor Lester Taylor, Montclair Mayor Robert Jackson, Paterson Mayor Joey Torres, and Jersey City Council President Rolando Lavarro; and advocates from New Jersey Working Families and New Jersey Citizen Action.

“I am very proud of the fact that the 10th Congressional District of New Jersey is leading the way in providing paid sick leave to workers and working families,” said Congressman Donald M. Payne, Jr. “Hardworking Americans should be able to take care of themselves and their families when they are sick without having to worry about losing pay, or worse, their jobs. Now is the time to make paid sick leave a national priority. I am a proud original co-sponsor of the Healthy Families Act, and I will continue to call on Congress to pass this bill so working families have the real flexibility and wages they need to be productive at work and take care of their families at home.”

Six out of the 12 cities in New Jersey that have paid sick leave are in New Jersey’s 10th Congressional District, including Newark, Jersey City, East Orange, Irvington, Montclair, and Bloomfield. Nearly 200,000 New Jerseyans have gained access to paid sick days through ordinances in the 12 municipalities.

Congressman Payne, Jr. is an original co-sponsor of the Healthy Families Act, which will allow workers to earn up to seven paid sick days per year to recover from short-term illness, care for a sick family member, or seek routine medical care.