Under Pittsburgh’s Paid Sick Days Act, employees who work at least 35 hours within the geographic boundaries of the City in a calendar year are entitled to sick time. A “covered employee” under the Act does not include independent contractors, State or Federal employees, any member of a construction union covered by a collective bargaining unit, or seasonal employees.
Effective March 15, 2020, employees accrue at least one hour of sick time for every 35 hours worked in the City of Pittsburgh. Employers with 15 or more employees must permit accrual of up to 40 hours of paid sick time per year. Employers with less than 15 employees must permit accrual of up to 24 hours of unpaid sick time. Beginning March 15, 2021, these employers must pay sick time.
Employees begin to accrue paid sick time on the first day of employment. The accrued paid sick time can be used starting on the 90th calendar day of their employment. Any unused sick time must be carried over to the following calendar year, provided that the accrued time does not exceed 40 hours. Employers that “front load” sick time at the beginning of the year, do not need to carry over employees’ unused accrued sick time from the previous calendar year. Employers with a paid leave policy that provides paid leave sufficient to meet the Act’s accrual requirements are not required to provide additional sick time.
An employer may not transfer, demote, discharge, suspend, reduce hours, or directly threaten such actions against a covered employee who requests or uses accrued sick time, reports or attempts to report a violation of the Act, participates or attempts to participate in an investigation or proceeding under the Act, or otherwise exercises any rights under the Act.
Posting Requirement
Employers must display the Pittsburgh Paid Sick Time Poster in English, Spanish, and any other primary languages of employees at the workplace. (Pittsburgh City Code, Sec. 626.06)
Failure to post the Pittsburgh Paid Sick Time Poster may result in a $100 fine.