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.
Today marks 13 days since Philadelphia City Council passed the Healthy Families and Workplaces Act, which will allow workers to earn up to 7 days of paid sick time to care for themselves or their family members. One of many Philadelphia workers waiting for Mayor Nutter to sign the bill is Michael Cockrell, a cook and dishwasher.
Michael has been in the restaurant industry for 13 years. He works to support himself and his seven year old son. Why are earned sick days so important to Michael?
Well, Michael has worked in restaurant kitchens while sick with the flu.
He has worked when his son had an asthma attack and had to be hospitalized.
He has worked despite cutting himself so badly slicing tomatoes that he had to get stitches - once his shift ended and he was allowed to leave.
“If I wasn’t fearful of being terminated, I wouldn’t have gone to work [in these situations]," he told the Bloomberg News. But until Mayor Nutter takes action, Michael must continue to worry about the fact that his job and his economic security depend on not catching the next cold that comes around.
Mayor Nutter can change Michael's life, and the lives of 200,000 workers, with the swipe of a pen. You can ask him to make that change here.
In the News
Councilman Bill Greenlee, the main sponsor of the Philadelphia earned sick days bill, opines in The Philadelphia Daily News that
"Our city's economy is on the rebound thanks to the hard work of tens of thousands in the restaurant, health care, child care, and hospitality industries. They deserve to earn sick pay so they don't have to lose a day's wages or put the public's health at risk by coming to work sick."
Where in the World is Mayor Nutter?
Mayor Nutter has no events on his calendar for today. You can find his daily schedule at http://www.phila.gov/mayor/itinerary.html.
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