Carnegie Mellon University
Human Resources  ›  Benefits  ›  Time Away from Work  ›  Paid Sick Days

Paid Sick Days

Several cities and states have passed laws to mandate the availability of paid sick days for employees. For example, the City of Pittsburgh Paid Sick Days Act went into effect on March 15, 2020 and gives eligible employees one hour of paid sick time for every 35 hours worked, up to a maximum of 40 hours in a calendar year. For Pittsburgh and the other locations listed below, an automated process in Workday is available to process all Paid Sick Leave requests for eligible employees. The Workday process allows eligible employees in these locations to see their Paid Sick Leave balance and make requests for Paid Sick Leave. Supervisors will be notified when an eligible employee makes a request, and they will be required to review and approve or deny these requests in Workday. 

Employees must notify their supervisor of the need to use Paid Sick Leave by submitting a request through Workday. When the need to use paid sick days is foreseeable, the employee must submit a request through Workday in advance. When the need to use paid sick days is not foreseeable (e.g., due to sudden illness or emergency), the employee should provide notice to the supervisor and submit a request through Workday at least one hour before the beginning of the employee’s normal schedule or as soon as possible under the circumstances. For employees in the locations listed below, detailed instructions on how to submit requests, frequently asked questions, and other information related to Paid Sick Leave are contained within designated sections.

The City of Pittsburgh Paid Sick Days Act went into effect on March 15, 2020. This Act gives eligible employees one hour of paid sick time for every 35 hours worked, up to a maximum of 40 hours in a calendar year. After 90 calendar days of employment, eligible employees may use paid sick days for their own illness or medical care, a family member's illness or medical care, or in the event of a declared public health emergency. For more information on eligibility, please review the Eligibility section.

An automated process in Workday is available to process all paid sick leave requests for eligible employees in Pittsburgh. The Workday process allows eligible employees to see their paid sick leave balance and make requests for paid sick leave. Supervisors will be notified when an eligible employee makes a request, and they will be required to review and approve or deny these requests in the system.

Please Note: Employees who are currently eligible for paid time off through the university (including PTO, Special Faculty Vacation, Library Faculty Vacation, and Local 95 Sick Time) are not eligible for Pittsburgh Paid Sick Leave. Additionally, employees are only eligible after 90 calendar days of employment.

Eligibility for Pittsburgh Paid Sick Days

Accrual Method Entitlement Annual Carry Over Intended Use
Part-time nonexempt staff Accrued based on hours worked One hour per 35 hours worked, up to a maximum of 40 hours per calendar year Carry over up to 40 hours per calendar year* Employee's own medical condition, care of a family member with a medical condition
TES part-time staff
TES full-time staff
Nonexempt student workers
Fixed-term nonexempt full-time staff less than four months
Part-time exempt staff Granted 40 hours per year 40 hours per year, beginning January 1 of each year Ineligible for carryover
Exempt students workers
Faculty
Nine-month special faculty
Adjunct faculty
Fixed-term exempt full-time staff less than four months

*Any sick leave carried over from year to year will be counted against the annual maximum accrual of 40 hours per calendar year.

Starting on May 23, 2022, a new automated process in Workday is available to process all Paid Sick Leave requests for eligible employees in New York City. 

According to New York City Paid Sick Leave Protocol [pdf], employees who are not eligible to receive PTO under Section 2 of the New York City Paid Sick Leave Protocol will accumulate one hour of Paid Sick Leave for every 30 hours worked, up to a maximum of 40 hours of accrued Sick Leave per calendar year. Sick Leave may only be earned for hours worked within the City of New York. Hours worked outside the City of New York are not counted for purposes of calculating Sick Leave accrual.

Eligibility for New York City Paid Sick Leave

  • Part-time non-exempt staff
  • All student employees
  • Fixed-term nonexempt full-time staff < 4 months
  • Part-time exempt staff
  • Faculty
  • 9-month special faculty
  • Fixed-term exempt full-time staff < 4 months
  • Adjunct faculty

Accrual Method

Accrual Period

Entitlement

Annual Carry Over

Intended Use

Accrued based on hours worked

Accrued time available at end of each pay period

1 hour per 30 hours worked, up to a maximum of 40 hours per calendar year

Carry over up to 40 hours per calendar year*

Employees own medical condition, care of a family member with a medical condition
  • Any sick leave carried over from year to year will be counted against the annual maximum accrual of 40 hours per calendar year.
  • Employees must work for at least 120 days to use Paid Sick Leave.
  • Employees will not be paid for unused Paid Sick Leave upon separation from the university.

Resources

Starting on May 23, 2022, a new automated process in Workday is available to process all paid sick and safe leave requests for eligible employees in Washington, D.C.

According to Washington D.C. Paid Sick and Safe Leave Protocol, CMU will provide eligible Washington D.C. staff members with Paid Sick and Safe Leave. Sick Leave is leave taken to tend to a staff member’s physical or mental health or that of a staff member’s family. Safe Leave is leave taken to obtain social or legal services addressing stalking, domestic violence or sexual abuse of the staff member or staff member’s family member. The university will provide each staff member at least 1 hour of paid leave for every 43 hours worked, up to 5 days of leave per calendar year.

Eligibility for Washington DC Sick and Safe Leave

  • Part-time nonexempt staff
  • All student employees
  • Fixed -term nonexempt full-time staff < 4 months
  • Part-time exempt staff
  • Faculty
  • 9-month special faculty
  • Fixed-term exempt full-time staff < 4 months
  • Adjunct faculty

Accrual Method

Accrual Period

Entitlement

Annual Carry Over

Intended Use

Accrued based on hours worked

Accrued time available at end of each pay period

1 hour per 43 hours worked, up to a maximum of 5 days per calendar year

Carry over year to year

Sick Leave: tend to a staff member’s physical or mental health or that of a staff member’s family

Safe Leave: to obtain social or legal services addressing stalking, domestic violence or sexual abuse of the staff member or staff member’s family member
  • Employees will not be paid for unused Paid Sick Leave upon separation from the university.

Resources

Starting on July 1, 2022, a new automated process in Workday will be available to process all Paid Sick Leave requests for eligible employees in California. 

Employees who are eligible for this benefit accrue Paid Sick Leave on an annual fiscal year basis. On July 1 of each year, eligible employees will receive 24 hours of Paid Sick Leave. Any faculty or staff member who works for more than 30 days per year in the state of California and who is not eligible to receive PTO or Special Faculty Vacation is eligible for Paid Sick Leave. See California Paid Sick Leave Protocol (For Employees Not Eligible for PTO) [pdf] for details.

Eligibility 

Any faculty or staff member who works for more than 30 days per year in the state of California and who is not eligible to receive PTO or Special Faculty Vacation is eligible for Paid Sick Leave.

Resources

Log in to Workday to submit a request for Paid Sick Leave.

Leaves Administration

Matt McCabe
Leaves Manager
Phone: 412-268-5899
Fax: 412-268-7068

Amelia Kephart
Leaves Administrator
Phone: 412-268-5072
Fax: 412-268-7068

Helpful Links