Today, the Minneapolis City Council voted unanimously to implement citywide paid sick leave.

Paid leave will be available for all workers whose workplaces employ six or more employees, with a caveat for new businesses, who will be required to offer only unpaid leave for the first year of their operation. Everyone else will be able to accumulate up to 48 hours of sick time per year.

Paid sick leave is a big win for Minneapolis workers, and will hopefully set an example for other Minnesota cities. Of course, the state could also pass paid sick leave, and progressives have begun the fight. The DFL-controlled Senate passed paid family leave this session, with support from Governor Dayton, but the Republican-controlled House refused to act on the proposal. Always ones to put corporate interests ahead of working families, House Republicans also included a preemption law in last year’s Omnibus Jobs bill that would have prevented local municipalities (like Minneapolis) from raising their own minimum wage or enacting other private sector benefits in excess of state or federal government requirements. Thankfully, Governor Dayton and the DFL-led Senate prevented that from happening.

And thankfully, progressive leaders in Minneapolis City Hall are leading the charge to build a better future for all working families, not just the wealthy.