A group advocating for paid sick time for Michigan workers has collected enough signatures to put their proposal on the ballot. The proposal would allow workers to earn an hour of paid sick time for every thirty hours worked.
Danielle Atkinson is a cochair of the MI Time to Care campaign.
"Two million Michiganders don't have access to a single hour of paid sick time, which really means they are working when they're sick, they're sending their children to school sick, the legislature has not acted, so we just took it to the people," says Atkinson.
Sick time can be used for illness or to care for a sick child or loved one, as well as uses related to domestic violence and sexual assault. The Earned Sick Time Act would also prohibit employers from punishing workers for using their sick time.
The group gathered more than 350,000 signatures for the proposal.
This post was updated at 3:12 p.m.
