Pennsylvania Paid Leave Mandates Preemption Rules

Pennsylvania has no statewide paid sick leave, paid family leave, or earned sick time law applicable to private employers. Unlike minimum wage, the General Assembly has not enacted a clear preemption of local paid leave ordinances, and the Pennsylvania Supreme Court upheld Pittsburgh's Paid Sick Days Act in PA Restaurant Association v. City of Pittsburgh (2019). Philadelphia's Promoting Healthy Families and Workplaces Ordinance requires employers with 10 or more employees to provide up to 40 hours of paid sick leave annually. Smaller cities have explored similar measures. Federal FMLA continues to provide unpaid job-protected leave, and the state's Heart and Lung Act covers certain public-safety workers.

Where local paid sick leave laws apply, retaliation or denial can lead to back pay, restoration, and civil penalties from the city.