An estimated 676,281 private sector workers in Louisiana—or 45.1% of the state’s workforce—are not eligible to earn paid sick leave at their jobs, according to a new report from Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit National Partnership for Women & Families. That’s above the nationwide average of 40% of workers, or about 43 million people, who are not eligible for paid sick leave.
State and municipal law in Louisiana does not require employers to offer paid sick leave to employees, the report says, and that’s costing Louisiana families.
“For a typical family in the United States without paid sick days, for example, 3.5 days lost to illness are equivalent to the family’s entire monthly grocery budget,” reads the report. “Louisiana families need paid sick days to protect their financial stability, help maintain a strong state economy and promote their own good health and that of their communities.”
The NPWF advocates for states and cities to enact laws requiring paid sick leave, and it says Louisiana should join “the growing list of states and localities with paid sick days laws,” citing four states that have enacted such laws in recent years.
