Today in Texas paid sick time for workers is a privilege and not the law, however that may change next year. Already, 10 states have passed measures requiring employers to pay their employees for sick time off. Those states are: AZ, CA, MD, MA, NJ, OR, RI, VT, and WA. Federal law doesn’t require companies to provide paid time off (PTO). Worker advocate groups want to require all private employers to offer PTO – – up to 6 days per year for small companies and up to 8 days for those with more than 15 employees. In February, the city of Austin approved a PTO ordinates slated to start later this year, however several business groups have filed suit in an effort to prevent this ordinance from being enforced. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, PTO benefits are far more common amongst highly compensated white collar workers, 80–96% of all such workers having PTO benefits. For blue-collar workers that percentage is appreciably smaller, 35–51%. Employer groups complain that wages are already too high due to the low unemployment rate and difficulties in attracting and retaining employees, so requiring them to pay PTO is yet another financial hardship that they may not be able to bear. Highlights For small business owners, the burden of routine HR tasks can be overwhelming, taking time away from more revenue-oriented
