Private employers will now be required to provide earned paid sick leave for eligible employees in three states after voters passed ballot measures in Alaska, Missouri, and Nebraska.
In Alaska, Ballot Measure 1, dubbed the Minimum Wage Increase and Paid Sick Leave Initiative, passed with a nearly 57 percent majority vote.
The measure, placed on the ballot through a citizen petition, mandates a gradual minimum wage increase to $15 per hour by 2027 and allows employees at companies with 15 or more workers to accrue up to 56 hours of paid sick leave annually. Alaska’s current minimum wage sits at $11.73 an hour.
Smaller businesses, those with fewer than 15 employees, must offer up to 40 hours of sick leave. The measure also includes protections against adverse employer actions for workers who decline to attend employer-sponsored meetings on religious or political matters….