Starting Wednesday, businesses in Philadelphia with 10 or more employees must begin offering paid sick leave to their workers.

The paid sick leave legislation was vetoed twice by Mayor Michael Nutter. Months of redrafts, addendums, and hearings followed, with significant opposition from the restaurant, hotel, and business development sectors. But the bill was eventually signed into law in February with a 14-2 vote by City Council.

Estimates say that some 200,000 Philadelphians will benefit from the bill as it stands.

It’s important for employees to know that paid sick leave (also referred to as earned sick leave) accrues weekly — one hour of PTO for every 40 that they work, meaning that about eight weeks (eight hours) earns one day’s paid absence.

Workers can only claim sick days to deal with personal illness, as well as illnesses in their direct family. They can also be used to deal with issues of domestic trauma and violence. Only employees who have worked on the job for at least three months can begin to collect sick days.

The number of employees was a contentious point during the bill’s drafting process. As it stands now, companies with fewer than 10 employees are required to provide time off, but not salary compensation.

Interns and seasonal workers are not covered under the law, neither are union employees.