Allentown to Review Plan to Require Businesses to Provide Sick Leave

July 12, 2026

— Jeff Ward, Lehigh Valley News Briefs

Allentown will take a first look Wednesday at a proposal to require some businesses to provide paid sick leave.

The July 15 meeting includes “Amending the City of Allentown Public Health Code by adding Chapter 421, Paid Sick Leave Act, to improve the public health by requiring certain businesses to allocate sick time to employees.”

This is just the first reading of a bill, not a final vote, but public comment is allowed at the meeting. As of now, the real action is scheduled for a July 22 meeting.

The bill is lengthy but the main part is “All employees of employers with fifteen (15) or more employees shall accrue a minimum of one (1) hour of paid sick time for every thirty (30) hours worked in Allentown unless the employer provides a faster accrual rate.”

That paid leave could be used for an employee’s physical or mental health needs, or to take care of a family member.

The proposal is described as a “citizens’ initiative” but it appears to be a model ordinance provided by an interest group.

The proposal contends the City of Allentown can require this of employers, with certain exceptions. That might be debated, but certainly even if the city can do it, should it do it?

It’s the eternal question, can / should. Do businesses need the city telling them how to operate? Is Allentown so remarkably well run that it can dictate to businesses? Hmmm.

There are always people demanding more and seeing businesses as an endless pot of money. Such a bill might be great for some but it could be costly to small businesses and add to the record-keeping burden.

The proposal goes into some detail, including this: “If an employer does not maintain its own notification policy, an employee shall provide their oral request for the use of sick time to the employer at least one (1) hour prior to the start of their shift.”

Does the city have the right to set workplace policies, right down to when phone calls should be made?

Perhaps regulations on holiday parties are next. Where does the government overreach end?

The bill will merely be introduced at the 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 15, meeting of Allentown City Council. The meeting agenda says the proposal will be referred to a special council meeting on July 22.

Here is a link to the Wednesday agenda. Agendas are subject to change. The sick leave item, Bill 54, is second-to-last in the agenda.