California paid sick leave act goes into effect July 1

Gabrielle Karol | KXTV-TV

An estimated 6.5 million Californians will become eligible for paid sick leave for the first time starting July 1.

The Healthy Workplace Healthy Family Act of 2014, authored by Assembly member Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego, guarantees up to three days of paid sick leave for all California workers who work for 30 or more days within a year of becoming employed.

Who is eligible?

Both part-time and full-time employees can start taking paid sick leave after working for the same employer for 90 days.

"Most of the businesses that weren't providing any paid time off are [those] who hire hourly low-wage workers – a lot in retail, restaurants," Gonzalez said. "Folks who, unfortunately, are barely getting by. The same population, who is really living month-to-month, is having to make the decision: Do I take a day off?"

What does the law say?

Under the law, businesses will be required to show how many hours of paid sick leave workers have earned on their pay stubs. Employers can either choose to have workers accrue one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked, or grant employees three days of paid sick leave upfront, to be used within a one-year period. Businesses are required to provide this benefit – regardless of company size.

"We just want employers to know it's not an option, and employees can't be penalized for using their paid sick days. They can't be fired or have their hours cut. It's important for them to know they have the right to earn these paid sick days [and] actually use them without penalty," Gonzalez said.

There's a 30-day window after an employee has taken paid sick leave in which employers are not allowed to fire the employee, unless the employer is able to show another reason for taking disciplinary action.

How are people reacting to the California law?

The law is being welcomed by many Californians, especially parents who have found it challenging to take care of their children without paid sick leave. Grandmother Rosemary Sellers said her daughter, who works for a manufacturing company in Tracy, Calif., has had to rely on her for help when her granddaughters would get sick.

"She happened to be living with me, and I had to miss work. But now if something happens, where she can't go to work, she'll be compensated for it," Sellers said.

Eva McHenry, who runs the daycare attended by Sellers' granddaughters, said the new law will save many of her clients from having to make "heart-wrenching" decisions. McHenry said most of her parents work in retail, and have never had paid sick leave before.

"I don't take ill children. If I see that they're really sick, I'll send them home. The parent just has to take that time off," McHenry said. "And it's difficult because sometimes the parent at the end of the month, they don't have enough to pay their rent – because they weren't paid for that time off that they took. But I have to enforce my rules."

Which states have paid sick leave laws?

California, Connecticut, Massachusetts and the District of Columbia have laws mandating paid sick days as well as at least 18 cities. It's unclear whether other states require certain employers to provide unpaid sick days, according to the National Partnership for Women & Families.