Chicago – An extension of the Illinois Sick Leave Act of 2017 to aviation workers sponsored in the Illinois House by State Representative Jaime Andrade has been signed into law, giving 30,000+ Illinois aviation workers the right use employer-provided sick leave to care for ill or injured relatives.
“Airline workers keep us moving, and they deserve the right to use employer-provided sick leave to care for loved ones. I am proud to have sponsored this legislation in the house, and grateful to all involved who made this possible, especially the Transport Workers Union, TWU Local 556 Vice President Corliss King, Governor Pritzker, Speaker Chris Welch, Senate President Don Harmon, and Senator Ram Villivalam for their work on this,” State Representative Jaime Andrade said.
Taking effect in 2022, this bill extends the rights included in the Illinois Sick Leave Act of 2017 to cover workers in the airline industry, including flight attendants, pilots, ramp workers, airline mechanics, and other airline workers who were previously excluded from the 2017 bill, putting flight attendants, pilots, ramp workers, airline mechanics, and other airline workers on equal footing with other Illinois workers covered by the 2017 bill. Part of a comprehensive transportation bill, this legislation delivers long overdue equity for Illinois’ airline workers who have always kept us moving, even during the ongoing pandemic.
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