Mayor de Blasio announces plan for 2 weeks PTO for workers in NYC
NEW YORK (WABC) -- New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced legislation on Wednesday that would guarantee two weeks of paid personal time off for workers in the city.
If approved by the New York City Council, the city would be the nation's first to require paid time off for workers.
According to the mayor's office, more than 500,000 full- and part-time employees in New York currently have no paid time off.
The Mayor is planning to pursue local legislation that would require private employers with five or more employees to offer 10 annual days of Paid Personal Time, allowing employees to take paid time off for any purpose, including vacation, religious observances, bereavement and time with family.
WATCH: Mayor de Blasio announces paid time off plan
The legislation would guarantee this time for approximately 3.4 million New Yorkers, the mayor's office said.
"To be the fairest big city in America, New Yorkers can't be forced to choose between bringing home a paycheck and taking time off to just disconnect or spend time with loved ones - that choice ends with Paid Personal Time," de Blasio said. "I look forward to working with Council Speaker Corey Johnson and the rest of City Council on this important piece of legislation."
The policy is expected to benefit New Yorkers in a wide range of industries who currently receive no paid personal time, including 180,000 workers in professional services, 90,000 in retail, and 200,000 in the hotel and food service sectors.
The city already provides government employees with more than two weeks of Paid Personal Leave per year.
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