New York City workers may get paid sick leave to care for their pets

Barking huffy aliases brilliant?

New York City lawmakers are proposing a measure to fto Big Apple workers return clip disconnected to attraction for their sick furry family members.

The proposal, sponsored by metropolis assembly personnel Shaun Abreu, would amend and grow the Earned Safe and Sick Time Act — which requires companies to springiness labor paid sick time off to attraction for themselves aliases family members — to see pets and work animals.

Abreu touted intelligence wellness arsenic a logic to incentivize pet ownership pinch nan amended bill, citing investigation that owning pets tin reduce cortisol, a stress-related hormone, and unit group into beingness activity and retired of societal isolation.

“I deliberation that 1 of nan simplest ways to support intelligence wellness is by encouraging pet ownership,” Mr. Abreu told nan New York Times

“Keeping our pets patient keeps america healthy,” he said.

Along pinch Abreu, assembly members Tiffany Caban, Shahana K. Hanif, and Farah N. Louis are co-sponsors of nan projected bill.

However, Introduction 1089 has received backlash from immoderate who opportunity workers whitethorn return advantage of costly institution benefits, and that immoderate employers whitethorn not beryllium truthful gracious astir granting Fido’s time off.

“These benefits costs money, and it’s 1 point if nan worker is sick and can’t travel to work; it’s different point if it’s a discretionary activity,” Kathryn Wylde, president of nan Partnership for New York told nan outlet.

“The interest is that yet it creates a shape of raising nan costs of surviving and doing business successful New York,” Wylde added.

The rule could beryllium 1 of nan first of its benignant successful a awesome metropolitan area. In Emeryville, Calif., employees tin use paid sick time off to attraction for their ain work aliases guideline animals.

Currently, NYC rule gives workers astatine companies pinch 100 aliases much labor up to 56 hours of paid time off per twelvemonth to attraction for themselves aliases family members, while those who activity astatine smaller businesses whitethorn only get 40 hours per year.

Amending nan rule would let clip disconnected to attraction for work animals and animals kept legally for companionship. However, nan type of animal it would widen to has not yet been specified.

The authorities was referred to nan Committee connected Consumer and Worker Protection connected Wednesday. If passed, nan connection will go rule 120 days later.