Posted on July 5, 2011 by Christina Stoneburner

Philadelphia Will Not Mandate Paid Sick Leave

Although it is too soon to tell whether New York will join Connecticut in mandating paid sick leave, one thing is certain -- Philadelphia will not.

 

On June 28, 2011, Mayor Michael Nutter vetoed a proposed ordinance that would have mandated that employers with 5 or more employees offer paid sick time to employees for their own illness or for the care of a family member.

 

In a letter to the Council, Mayor Nutter explained that he vetoed the proposed ordinance because it would cause too great of a burden on Philadelphia businesses when neither other Pennsylvania nor national businesses would be required to offer paid sick leave.  He also noted that all of the local Chambers of Commerce were opposed to the bill.

 

For now, it appears that the business community's concerns were addressed.   The question still remains whether other cities or states will follow Connecticut's lead.

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Posted on June 30, 2011 by Donia Sawwan

Connecticut Approves Paid Sick Leave for Service Workers---Is New York Next?

State legislators recently approved a bill to make Connecticut the first state to require paid sick leave for service workers. Governor Malloy, who campaigned on the issue during last year’s election, has said that he will sign it into law.

This victory for workers marks a growing national trend. Currently, only San Francisco and Washington D.C. have mandatory paid sick time. Lawmakers in Massachusetts and California, as well as municipal officials in Philadelphia, Seattle and Denver are also considering paid sick days legislation.

The Connecticut bill, Public Act No. 11-52, only applies to businesses with 50 or more employees, and exempts manufacturing companies and nationally chartered nonprofit organizations, day laborers, independent contractors and temporary workers. The bill allows workers to accrue one hour of sick time for every 40 hours worked, with the number of days capped at five per year. It targets the service industry, where many employees handle food and work with the public.

In addition, the paid leave would only apply to service workers who receive an hourly wage, such as waiters, waitresses, cashiers, cooks, hair stylists, security guards and nursing home aides. It is estimated that hundreds of thousands of service workers will be affected. 

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