Judge sends airlines' challenge to Mass. sick leave law to trial

A federal judge in Boston on Thursday denied a quick win to an airline trade group in its challenge to a Massachusetts paid sick leave law, saying a trial is required to decide the key issues in the case. US District Judge Allison Burroughs said she has to hear from experts for the state and Airlines For America (A4A) in order to decide whether the sick leave law will cause flight delays and cancellations, and whether those burdens are excessive enough to render the law invalid. "Without the benefit of hearing and evaluating the expert testimony ... the court cannot credit the opinions of one side's experts over those of the other's and therefore cannot determine whether any burdens are clearly excessive relative to the (law's) benefits," Burroughs wrote. Massachusetts' law, which took effect in 2015, requires employers to provide a minimum of one hour of sick leave for every 30 hours worked, up to 40 hours per year. A4A in a 2018 lawsuit alleged that the law was invalid as applied to airlines because it placed an undue burden on interstate commerce and was preempted by the Airline Deregulation Act, which bars state laws that affect the prices, routes, or services offered by airlines.<br/>