Minnesota Workers Organize to Push for Paid Sick Time

DULUTH (AP) - Workers advocating for paid sick time have kicked off a campaign to back proposed legislation in Minnesota.

The employees call their coordinated effort "Minnesota Benefits" and held an event Tuesday in Duluth.

The campaign organizers say all workers, full or part-time, should be entitled to paid sick time. They claim 60 percent of private sector jobs don't have paid sick leave. And the majority of those jobs are in the service industry.

Tiffany McDonald is a Duluth mom of four. McDonald says she has lost a job because she needed to care for a sick child.

Proposed legislation calls for 1 hour of earned sick time for every 30 hours worked. Smaller companies would have a cap of 40 hours of sick time for employees per year.