Dear Virginia Legislators,
Caring for the sick and vulnerable among us is part of our mission as people of faith and goodwill. We encourage people to take care of themselves and their families when they are sick.
Unfortunately, too many Virginians cannot take a sick day without losing income or their job. In Virginia, 41 percent of private sector workers (1.2 million workers) have no paid sick days (or PTO). We urge you to support legislation to require all Virginia employers to offer workers up to 5 paid sick days per year. The proposed legislation would create a standard to ensure that workers can earn one hour for every 30 hours worked.
This policy will benefit working parents who need to stay home with a sick child, which also benefits the public health. Low-wage workers (particularly food-service, personal health care, and childcare workers) are the least likely to have paid sick days. When they are sick, these workers are forced to choose between getting paid and putting the public’s health at risk.
Our economy also stands to gain from paid sick days. Paid sick days reduces turnover, which saves businesses’ money, and reduces medical costs by stopping spread of infection.
We call upon you to work with us during the 2026 General Assembly session to make paid sick days a reality for 1.2 million Virginians.
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