NEWS: Casar, Magaziner, Budzinski, Crockett, & Sanders Announce New Bicameral Bill to Guarantee Earned Days Off for American Workers

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Representatives Seth Magaziner (RI-02) Nikki Budzinski (IL-13), Greg Casar (TX-35), and Jasmine Crockett (TX-30) announced the introduction of the Protected Time Off (PTO) Act to guarantee all workers have access to paid days off from work. U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (VT) is introducing companion legislation in the Senate.

“Across the United States, workers are organizing for better working conditions,” said Congressman Greg Casar (TX-35). “As an Austin City Council member in 2018, I passed the first rule in the South requiring employers to provide workers with paid sick leave. While that ordinance is still held up in court, Congress can go further by passing the PTO Act and guaranteeing that all workers have access to paid vacation. We can give workers their well-earned break, investing in the future well-being of our country.”

Nearly 27 million Americans – or over one in five workers in the private sector – do not have access to annual paid vacation leave. American workers deserve to have paid time off, whether it’s to spend time with their families, go to the doctor, run errands or just take a well-earned break. 

Upon passage, the Protected Time Off (PTO) Act will ensure:

• Employees who work full time will earn no less than two weeks of paid annual leave per year, to be used for any reason, at their standard rate of pay. 

• This leave will be guaranteed in addition to any paid sick leave or family and medical leave already guaranteed by law.

• Employees are protected against discrimination for exercising their right to take annual paid time off.

“Americans who put in an honest day’s work deserve to take time off, and I’m proud to introduce the PTO Act to make this a reality for all,” said Rep. Seth Magaziner (RI-02). “This is a matter of fairness and respect in the workplace. No one works harder than American workers, and they have earned a break.” 

“It is time to end the international embarrassment of the United States being the only major country on earth not to guarantee paid vacation days to workers,” said U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT). “In the richest country in the history of the world, workers should be treated with dignity and respect, and that includes having the basic right to a paid vacation.”

“Every day, American workers are generating record corporate profits and sustaining the world’s strongest economy -- we can’t continue to shortchange them in the paid time off they deserve,” said Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski (IL-13). “Today, I’m proud to join my colleagues in introducing the PTO Act to ensure that every worker with a full-time job receives ten paid days off-the-clock. With this legislation, we can ensure that hard work really does pay off for our nation’s working families.”

“The United States is the richest country in the history of the world – and yet, we fall behind nearly every other developed nation in terms of worker benefits and paid time off. For the millions of American workers, including the vast majority of hourly workers, a day off to care for a sick child or attend a friend’s wedding means missing a day’s pay – forcing workers to choose between their family, friends, or their own health and wellbeing, and financial stability,” said Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett (TX-30). “The PTO Act sets a standard for all employers to adhere to, allowing all workers a set number of PTO days per year and bringing American labor policy closer to that of most of the developed world.”

American workers are the reason why the United States has the world's strongest economy, yet the U.S. is the only advanced economy that doesn’t guarantee any paid vacation for workers. By contrast, the European Union guarantees workers at least 20 paid vacation days per year, with some countries mandating as many as 25 or 30 annual days off. The distribution of paid annual leave also perpetuates existing societal inequalities. Workers of color and low wage workers are the least likely to be allowed paid time off.

Every American deserves dignity in their job and to be treated with respect. Paid annual leave for every worker is about basic fairness, and the PTO Act will move our country closer to that goal. 

“Paid time off should not be treated as a perk or a bonus, it is a fundamental right that every worker deserves,” said Susan Valentine, Political Director for UNITE HERE. “But too often, workers in the service and hospitality industries don’t have access to PTO – perpetuating inequality and reinforcing a system that values profit over people. We must strive for a future where all workers have the opportunity to take off without sacrificing their financial security, and we thank Rep. Magaziner for introducing the Protected Time Off Act to make this a reality.” 

“Most moms are caring for their families while holding the jobs they need to pay the bills,” said Ruth Martin, Senior Vice President at MomsRising. “Our country’s failure to build a care infrastructure – with paid family and medical leave, paid sick time, and affordable child, elder, and disability care – forces millions of moms to make impossible choices when a child gets sick or a parent needs care. Moms need and deserve time off to care for a sick child or parent, go to the doctor, or simply take a break. That’s why MomsRising strongly supports the Protected Time Off Act, which would guarantee full-time working people two weeks of paid annual leave each year. It would boost moms and families and make workers more productive.” 

“Every person who puts in a hard day’s work deserves access to time off for rest and relaxation,” said Jocelyn C. Frye, president of the National Partnership for Women & Families. “The Protected Time Off (PTO) Act recognizes that workers are more than just their jobs, and that time off promotes physical and mental health, reduces burnout and strengthens families and communities. Yet millions of workers, and disproportionately women of color, still do not have access to this essential benefit. It’s long past time that all workers enjoy the ability to take a break so they can be the best versions of themselves when they show up at work each day. The PTO Act would be a major step forward and, along with other family-friendly policies, provide the comprehensive support that working people and their families need.”

“We know that the only way to build and sustain a robust economy is to ensure that working families can thrive,” said Josephine Kalipeni, executive director of Family Values @ Work. “The PTO Act will protect employees in the workplace and allow workers the ability to take time off for any reason at their discretion, be it the time needed to care for themselves, care for another, or simply to enjoy their lives while maintaining employment.”

This bicameral legislation is co-sponsored by 43 Members of Congress, including U.S. Senator Alex Padilla and U.S. Representatives Nikki Budzinski, Greg Casar, Jasmine Crockett, Alma Adams, Gabe Amo, Jamaal Bowman, Andre Carson, Danny Davis, Chris Deluzio, Veronica Escobar, Robert Garcia, Sylvia Garcia, Jesus Chuy García, Dan Goldman, Raúl Grijalva, Val Hoyle, Jared Huffman, Jonathan Jackson, Pramila Jayapal, Ro Khanna, Summer Lee, Stephen Lynch, James McGovern, Rob Menedez, Kevin Mullin, Jerrold Nadler, Joe Neguse, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Mark Pocan, Delia Ramirez, Andrea Salinas, Jan Schakowsky, Adam Schiff, Melanie Stansbury, Dina Titus, Rashida Tlaib, Jill Tokuda, Lori Trahan, Bonnie Watson Coleman, and Nikema Williams.

The PTO Act is also endorsed by the AFL-CIO, Center for Law and Social Policy, Economic Opportunity Institute, Economic Policy Institute, Family Equality, Family Values @ Work, MomsRising, Mothering Justice, NAACP, National Employment Law Project, National Partnership for Women and Families, National Women’s Law Center, Oxfam America, Paid Leave for All, SEIU (Service Employees International Union), SMART (International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers), UnidosUS, UNITE HERE, Women Employed, and ZERO TO THREE.

The bill text can be found HERE.

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Congressman Greg Casar represents Texas’s 35th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, which runs down I-35 from East Austin to Hays County to the West Side of San Antonio.  A labor organizer and son of Mexican immigrants, Casar serves as the Whip of the Congressional Progressive Caucus for the 118th Congress. He also serves on the Committee on Oversight and Accountability and the Committee on Agriculture.