The Rhode Island Healthy and Safe Families and Workplaces Act, RI 28-57, requires employers with 18 or more workers to provide up to 40 hours of paid sick leave annually. Providence cannot legislate higher.
Under Rhode Island General Laws 28-57, employees accrue at least one hour of paid sick leave for every 35 hours worked, capped at 40 hours per year for employers with eighteen or more staff. Smaller employers must provide unpaid leave with job protection. Coverage extends to mental health days, school closures, and care for family members. The Department of Labor and Training enforces violations. Providence cannot exceed the state floor, but the city may apply richer paid-leave rules to its own employees and city contracts.
Refusing earned sick leave, retaliating against users, or skipping recordkeeping triggers Department of Labor and Training penalties and possible private suits with damages.
See how Providence's paid leave preemption rules stack up against other locations.
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