On March 14, 2013, Philadelphia City Council passed a bill providing the opportunity for most workers in the city of Philadelphia to earn paid sick days. Mayor Michael Nutter has until April 4, 2013, to sign the bill into law or to let it leave his desk unsigned.
Either choice will pave the way for nearly 200,000 workers in Philadelphia to have access to earned sick days for the first time.
Until April 4, or until the Mayor signs the bill, NutterWatch will be here to give you the latest updates and to share the latest stories. To add your name to a petition asking Mayor Nutter to sign the bill, please click here.
Yesterday's NutterWatch focused on Michael Cockrell, a man who has worked in the restaurant industry for 13 years to support his family but who cannot earn paid sick days in his job.
Today, we'll borrow from a recent editorial in The Philadelphia Gay News to discuss a group of people who can benefit from earned sick days:
While the issue itself does not center on LGBT rights, the legislation is LGBT-inclusive. It mandates that workers who earn paid sick-leave hours can take the time to care for a same-sex partner or for children for whom they stand “in loco parentis,” meaning to whom they have no legal or biological ties. While many companies may offer sick time to their employees, the policies often do not extend to same-sex partners or their children.
Backers of the legislation recognized the need for LGBT inclusion in the measure, and this is an opportune time for coalition-building among the LGBT community and other supportive networks. The coalition has garnered support from more than 100 local organizations — which run the gamut from labor unions to domestic-violence agencies to HIV/AIDS organizations to youth and senior groups. As the LGBT movement grows and support builds for our issues among non-LGBT populations, it is imperative that the community joins hands with those willing to stand for us now and in the future.
If you personally do not get paid sick leave at work, this obviously affects you. If a member of your family or a friend does not get paid sick leave at work, this affects you. If your child — or your neighbor’s child — attends daycare where the caregivers do not get paid sick leave, this affects you. If you care about your fellow Philadelphians receiving fair and equal treatment, this affects you.If you want to show Mayor Nutter your support for earned sick days in Philadelphia, sign our petition here.
In the News
Joyce Rosenberg of The Associated Press published an article on paid sick time looking at its effect on small businesses and quoting from small businesses that support earned sick time legislation.
The article also includes the most recent information we have from the Nutter Administration regarding their position on the bill:
Paid sick leave has run into roadblocks in other cities. Philadelphia's City Council passed its bill March 14, but Mayor Michael Nutter vetoed a similar bill in 2011. He hasn't decided yet whether he'll sign the latest bill, spokesman Mark McDonald says.
Where in the World is Mayor Nutter?
Mayor Nutter is at the Shawmont Trail Ribbon Cutting at 10:30 am.
He will be giving remarks at the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Event at Widener Library at noon.
That leaves plenty of time today for him to sign earned sick days into law!
You can find Mayor Nutter's daily schedule at http://www.phila.gov/mayor/itinerary.html.
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