Portland City Council Mandates Paid Sick Leave

Fourth city in the United States to do so

The City Council on Wednesday voted unanimously to make Portland the fourth U.S. city to mandate that businesses offer sick leave, requiring employers to give workers up to five days of sick leave each year.

The number of cities could soon expand to five. Philadelphia City Council members are expected to vote on a similar measure on Thursday.

Portland follows Seattle, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., in requiring earned sick time. Connecticut is the only state to pass such a law, but sick-leave bills have been introduced in Oregon, Washington, Maryland, Massachusetts and Vermont.