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Advocates March Downtown For Women's Rights, Paid Sick Leave

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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A crowd of women and men filled the streets of Downtown Pittsburgh on Thursday morning, marching for women's rights. There was no better day to do that than on International Women's Day.

"Today, we hope to accomplish winning paid sick days in Pittsburgh," said organizer Julie Baker. "That, right now, is being decided in the Pennsylvania Supreme Court."

In 2015, Pittsburgh City Council approved an ordinance which required all employers within the city limits to provide paid sick leave to all full-time and part-time employees. In May of 2017, that decision was appealed.

"The paid sick days fight that's happening right now in the Supreme Court is a really great example of how women are disproportionately affected by wage gaps," said Mica Lee Williams, of the Women's Law Project.

Some of the people who marched Thursday, know the struggle through personal experience.

"Paid sick days are really important, especially to single moms. I'm the daughter of a single mom," said Heather Arnet, of the Women and Girls Foundation.

It's especially important to single moms living in poverty.

"Everybody needs to come out in solidarity regardless of gender to really change things," said Andrew Bellesis, who participated in the march.

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