Voters in red states have approved ballot initiatives mandating paid sick days for workers, showing that the progressive policy enjoys broad support across party lines.
Sick leave measures in Missouri and Nebraska passed by comfortable margins on Tuesday, while one in Alaska appeared likely to pass with about 70% of votes counted early Wednesday morning. Under the new laws, workers can accrue one hour of paid sick time for every 30 they work, capped at 56 hours per year at large employers and 40 at small ones.
Assuming the Alaska measure prevails, then 18 states would now have paid sick leave requirements on their books, with Missouri, Nebraska and Alaska being the most conservative. Former President Donald Trump handily won Missouri and Nebraska on Tuesday and appeared likely to take Alaska; he won all three states in 2016 and 2020 as well.
Backers of the three measures have predicted that their success could turbocharge sick leave campaigns elsewhere, including in other states that lean Republican.
“I do expect once we see the outcome of these elections that there will be more interest in other states,” Jared Make, vice president of the nonprofit advocacy group A Better Balance, told HuffPost in September.
There is no federal law guaranteeing workers can take paid time off when they’re sick or need to care for a loved one, making the U.S. unique among wealthy countries. The policy is largely left at the discretion of employers, except in cities or states that have their own paid leave statutes.
As a result, around 1 in 5 U.S. workers don’t have access to paid sick days, and they are more likely to work in the lowest-paying jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Despite the lack of a federal mandate, the idea of requiring employers to provide sick days tends to poll very well among the general public. That’s why backers in several states have resorted to ballot initiatives, since they let them work around GOP-led legislatures or governors that won’t support paid sick leave bills.
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Richard von Glahn, a spokesperson for Missourians for Healthy Families and Fair Wages, the group leading the Missouri campaign, previously told HuffPost that sick leave legislation had gone nowhere in the state for years under Republican rule.
“Our legislature just turns a blind eye to the bills that really are about people’s day-to-day struggles and what they need,” von Glahn said. “That’s why we’ve had to turn to the ballot initiative process.”
The Missouri and Alaska ballot measures also included provisions for gradually raising the state minimum wage to $15 per hour. Missouri’s wage floor is currently $12.30 and Alaska’s is $11.73.