Pittsburgh Sick Leave Delayed Until At Least March 10, 2016 To Allow Court Challenge

By Karen Baillie

On October 22, 2015, Court of Common Pleas Judge Joseph James signed an order staying “implementation, application and enforcement” of the new Pittsburgh sick leave ordinance for 60 days. The ordinance is facing a court challenge by the Pennsylvania Restaurant & Lodging Association and several Pittsburgh restaurants, who argue that the city lacked authority to enact the ordinance, which they claim can be enacted only on a statewide basis.  As noted in an earlier blog posting, the ordinance was set to take effect on January 11, 2016. The ordinance’s new effective date will be March 10, 2016, unless further delayed by court action. Presumably, the stay will give the court time to rule on the merits of the lawsuit challenging the sick leave.