Showing posts with label Coalition. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Coalition. Show all posts
Friday, March 27, 2015
Philadelphia Earned Sick Days Materials
As we get closer to implementing the new earned sick days bill on May 13, the Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces is creating materials to help you learn more about the bill and get the word out about rights and responsibilities in the workplace. Please check back often for updates at http://www.phillyearnedsickdays.com/p/philadelphia.html.
Thursday, December 11, 2014
PA Coalition Applauds Introduction of Philly Earned Sick Days Bill
“This paid sick days bill is a great step forward for the 200,000 Philadelphia workers who currently have no access to paid sick days and have to choose between their health or the health of their child and the wages – or even worse, the job – they need to afford the basics. We are proud to work with Councilman Greenlee to ensure that all Philadelphia workers have access to the paid sick days they need to care for themselves and their families without worrying about paying the bills. It's not just the right thing to do for the health and financial stability of all working families in our city, but also a boost for our economy overall.”
The lack of paid sick days for Philadelphia workers puts the public health at risk and hurts the economy. When working families have enough money in their pockets to cover the basics, the whole economy gains. Losing even a day’s wages – or worse, a job – undermines families’ ability to contribute to the economy and forces many to need public programs to keep their families afloat. Nearly one quarter of adults in the US have been fired or threatened with job loss for taking time off to recover from illness or care for a sick loved one. For a low-income family without paid sick days, going just 3.5 days without wages is the equivalent to losing a month’s groceries.
These laws have had great success and enjoy broad popularity. Studies of paid sick days laws passed in San Francisco and Seattle have shown no negative impact on local economies, and both cities outpaced neighbors that lacked earned sick time protection. With passage of this law, Philadelphia could join the three states and 18 cities with paid sick days laws across the country.
The Philadelphia City Council has passed a paid sick days bill twice, but each has been vetoed by Mayor Nutter. In June, the Mayor created the task force to examine the paid sick days policies, and it made recommendations for a paid sick days law earlier this month.
For more information on the bill, please review our new fact sheets:
Thursday, November 20, 2014
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Share Your Paid Sick Days Story and Help Create a Better Working Environment for All Pennsylvanians!
We want to know:
- How you feel about the importance of paid sick days and the right to take off days from work to care for yourself or family
- How were you or your family affected when you didn't receive paid sick days or family leave?
- Did you lose your job?
- Did you experience financial difficulty or bankruptcy?
- Was your child left at school?
- Were you prevented from caring for an elderly parent?
- Are you a business owner who provides paid sick days, or are you employed by a business that does provide them?
To share your story, contact Marianne Bellesorte at 610-543-5022 ext. 209 or mbellesorte@pathwayspa.org.
Please take a moment to sign on our petition asking Philadelphia City Council members and the Mayor to support earned sick time, and the work-family balance agenda.
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
One Day. One Vote. One Chance to Make a Difference. Just Make One Call.
With 77 percent of Philadelphians supporting an override of the Mayor's veto, now is the time for City Council to stand up and lead on the issue of earned sick days.
11 Councilmembers are already on board. It only takes one more yes vote to keep Philadelphia's families financially secure.
Will you help us get there?
Here is what you can do to join the community in support of earned sick days:
-Call your Councilmembers right now and ask for their support on earned sick days.
-Ask your friends, family members, colleagues, and members to do the same.
-Join our Twitter rally at 1 PM EST on April 10.
-Come out to City Council on Thursday, April 11, at 10 AM in support of earned sick days.
To reach City Council, you can use our Click-to-Call feature (above) where you can enter your contact details to be connected to the Councilmembers.
You can also reach the Councilmembers using our toll-free Earned Sick Days Hotline at 888-376-5807.
You can call the members directly using the numbers below:
1st District Councilman Squilla: (215) 686-3458 or (215) 686-3459
At-Large Councilman Kenney: (215) 686-3450 or (215) 686-3451
At-Large Councilman O'Brien: (215) 686-3440 or (215) 686-3441
Looking for the right words to say?
"Hi, my name is [NAME].
I live/work in Philadelphia, and as a constituent, I am calling to tell the Councilman that I support earned sick days for all Philadelphia workers and to ask him to overturn the Mayor's veto.
Paid sick days are about justice. Families need to know that one flu won't cost them their jobs or their financial security."
If you have a personal story about earned sick days, share it with the staffer.
You can also ask the person who answers the phone if the Councilman plans to vote to override the veto.
After your call, please report back on how it went!
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Press Release: Pressure Mounting on City Council to Side with Families, Override Mayoral Veto of Sick Days
CONTACT: Emma Stieglitz, emmaS@berlinrosen.com, (646) 200-5307
Jonathan Lipman, Lipman@berlinrosen.com, (773) 580-1603
NURSES RALLY FOR EARNED SICK DAYS AS NEW POLL SHOWS OVERWHELMING SUPPORT AMONG PHILLY VOTERS
Pressure Mounting on City Council to Side with Families, Override Mayoral Veto of Sick Days
PHILADELPHIA—As nurses and childcare professionals rallied at City Hall to urge City Council to side with Philadelphia families and override Mayor Nutter’s veto of the Earned Sick Days bill, a new poll was released today showing overwhelming support for the measure among Philadelphia voters.
The earned sick days bill would protect nearly 200,000 Philadelphians who are currently unable to earn paid sick days, preventing them from taking time off when they or their families are ill. The bill passed Philadelphia City Council 11-6, but was vetoed by Mayor Nutter. Supporters are pressing for Council to override that veto on Thursday.
The new survey of 590 Philadelphia voters from Public Policy Polling shows a strong 77 percent of Philadelphia voters supporting a law requiring businesses to allow earned sick time. In addition, 68 percent support an override of the mayor’s veto, and a plurality of voters say that a council member’s failure to override the veto would make them less likely to vote for that council member.
Support for sick days was particularly strong among growing parts of Philadelphia’s electorate:
• 84% of women strongly support a law guaranteeing earned sick days and a whopping 95% support it overall;
• 73% of independent voters support the law.
• 93% of Hispanic voters in Philadelphia strongly support the law, with only 1 percent voicing any opposition.
“This polling tells us what we already knew to be true, that Philadelphians support, want and need earned sick days,” said Marianne Bellesorte, senior director of policy at Pathways PA and a leader of The Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces, which supports the bill. “We urge the City Council to listen to their constituents, not to corporate lobbyists, and side with families by overriding the Mayor’s veto on earned sick days.”
Nurses and caregivers today told council how especially crucial earned sick days are for working parents, who without paid sick days can face the terrible dilemma of choosing between caring for a sick child or earning the money needed to pay for that child’s needs.
“Being able to earn paid sick days is a basic protection for working families,” said Patricia Eakin, PASNAP President and an Emergency Room Nurse at Temple University Hospital. “Parents should be able to take a few hours off work to take their kids to a doctor during the day; otherwise a child’s sickness could worsen and result in a trip to the ER. A job should be what enables you to care for and support your family, not what prevents you from caring for them.”
Research shows that families without access to sick days are also the ones least able to afford unpaid time off. The issue is compounded for working parents who are often forced to send sick children to school because they cannot afford to take care of sick children at home. Studies have shown that parents with earned sick days are 20 percent less likely to send a sick child to school and that when parents care for sick children at home, they get better sooner and reduce the risk spreading the illness to their classmates. A new study from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) shows that sick days would save Philadelphia an estimated $10.3 million a year in healthcare costs by reducing preventable emergency room visits.
Lawmakers and business leaders around the country are supporting earned sick time as a policy that strengthens the economy by keeping people in their jobs. This March, Portland, OR became the fourth city to adopt paid sick days, and New York City is poised to become the 5th US city, and the largest city yet, to pass a paid sick days law. Statewide bills are moving forward in Vermont and Massachusetts. Residents of Orange County, FL, should be able to vote for sick days in August 2014 thanks to 50,000 voters who petitioned for the ballot initiative.
These recent wins and active campaigns build on past victories in Connecticut, which passed the first statewide law in 2011, Seattle in 2011, Washington DC in 2008, San Francisco in 2006, and a November 2012 ballot initiative in Long Beach, California granting sick days to hotel workers. At the federal level, Rep. Rosa DeLauro and Sen. Tom Harkin introduced the Healthy Families Act this month, which would set a national sick days standard.
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Friday, April 5, 2013
It's Up To Council - And You - To Make Earned Sick Days Happen
After years of work on earned sick days in Philadelphia, it all comes down to one vote.
On April 11, City Council will vote to override Mayor Nutter's short-sighted veto of earned sick days.
12 Councilmembers must vote to override the veto. 11 Councilmembers voted in favor of the bill.
Will you join the community of Philadelphians who are asking City Council to take the lead in supporting working families?
Why earned sick days? Because working without sick days places families in an impossible situation.
Small businesses suffer without earned sick days because of reduced productivity and the expense of high turnover.
Consumers and coworkers suffer without earned sick days when they are exposed to sickness.
And of course, the workers themselves suffer. After all, every day without sick days is a day we are asking them to choose between the jobs they need and the families they love.
It is clear that the leadership that our city needs on this issue will not come from the Mayor's office. It is now up to Council to enact the will of the overwhelming majority of Philadelphians by overriding this veto to make earned sick days law.
Please take a moment right now to ask them to do just that.
On April 11, City Council will vote to override Mayor Nutter's short-sighted veto of earned sick days.
12 Councilmembers must vote to override the veto. 11 Councilmembers voted in favor of the bill.
Will you join the community of Philadelphians who are asking City Council to take the lead in supporting working families?
Here is an example of what you can say:
"Hi, my name is [NAME].
I live/work in Philadelphia, and as a constituent, I am calling to tell the Councilman that I support earned sick days for all Philadelphia workers and to ask him to overturn the Mayor's veto.
Paid sick days are about justice. Families need to know that one flu won't cost them their jobs or their financial security." If you have a personal story about earned sick days, share it with the staffer. You can also ask the person who answers the phone if the Councilman plans to vote to override the veto. After your call, please report back on how it went!
Why earned sick days? Because working without sick days places families in an impossible situation.
Small businesses suffer without earned sick days because of reduced productivity and the expense of high turnover.
Consumers and coworkers suffer without earned sick days when they are exposed to sickness.
And of course, the workers themselves suffer. After all, every day without sick days is a day we are asking them to choose between the jobs they need and the families they love.
It is clear that the leadership that our city needs on this issue will not come from the Mayor's office. It is now up to Council to enact the will of the overwhelming majority of Philadelphians by overriding this veto to make earned sick days law.
Please take a moment right now to ask them to do just that.
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
NutterWatch: One Day to Ensure Safety for Philadelphians Who Survive Domestic Violence
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 ask the Mayor to sign the bill, you can tweet him at @Michael_Nutter.
Mayor Nutter has just one day left to make a decision on earned sick days in Philadelphia. Over the past week, we've looked at many reasons why earned sick days are important to Philadelphians: to ensure restaurant workers and childcare workers can earn sick days; to promote equality for workers who need sick days to care for their partners; to meet the needs of Philadelphians with autism; to affirm the worth and dignity of Philadelphians; to transcend party lines; and, perhaps most importantly, to continue our rivalry with New York City.
Now, with one day to go, we have a final, and very important reason why Philadelphians need earned sick days: to protect survivors of domestic violence and their families. The Women's Law Project, one of the 110 members of the Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces, explains why:
We know firsthand how important adoption of this bill is to victims of abuse. Through both our telephone counseling service and policy initiatives, we hear from women who are unable to obtain protection orders or seek the assistance of other social services to help them address the abuse to which they are subjected because their jobs do not give them time off for such activities. Unable to risk losing their ability to support their families, these individuals continue to live in fear and suffer abuse without legal protection or other support. Those who take time off from work to address the domestic violence even though they lack leave time, risk loss of employment, destitution, and homelessness.
Except for the domestic abuse hotline and emergency services in Philadelphia, the courts and most social services operate on a 9 to 5, Monday through Friday schedule. While someone faced with imminent danger may call 911 or file a petition for an Emergency Protection From Abuse order at any time, anyone seeking a final order of protection or relief from the criminal justice system must ultimately appear in court during the work week, typically for many hours, and often on a repeated basis. Women seeking such orders have told us they simply could not take more time off from work to return to court again. If the plaintiff does not appear for a hearing, the court dismisses the petition and no relief is granted. This bill, if adopted, will enable victims of abuse to seek legal and other protection....
In conversations with state insurance departments around the country, we have been assured that the number of individuals seeking relief under statutes prohibiting insurance discrimination against battered individuals has been extremely low. In our work in Pennsylvania on implementation of the Family Violence Option, which allows domestic violence victims to be excused from work requirements if domestic violence impedes their ability to comply, we have also seen no abuse. Despite estimates that domestic violence victims make up 40-60% of the TANF population, the number of TANF recipients in Pennsylvania seeking to be excused from work requirements is very small, only approximately 2 % or less of the TANF adult population statewide. Philadelphia’s numbers are even lower, with the percentage of the city’s welfare population seeking work waivers consistently below 1% (Department of Public Welfare, unpublished data April -August, 2007). Just as fears of false allegations of domestic violence have not been realized in these situations, we do not anticipate false claims in this one.
The reasons are the same: battered women want to work and need to work to support themselves and their families. In addition, victims of domestic violence do not easily disclose domestic violence to anyone, let alone their employer: shame and fear of loss of benefits and employment are a strong deterrent to disclosure of domestic violence. Because requesting domestic violence leave requires such a disclosure, we do not expect domestic violence victims to request leave unless it is absolutely necessary for them to be excused from work.If you think that Mayor Nutter needs to support earned sick days on behalf of families who have survived domestic violence, please let him know by calling his office today at 215-686-2181.
In the News
Yesterday, Yvonne Thomas, who owns a child care center in Philadelphia, published her opinion on earned sick days in The Philadelphia Daily News. She says:
Last week, a new parent from North Philadelphia dropped off her daughter at my day-care. I could see that the child wasn't feeling well and when I asked her mom about it, I could see the sadness and the fear emerge. "I will lose my job if I stay home with her," she told me as tears welled up in her eyes....
I speak not only as a Philadelphian concerned about our families, but also as a business owner concerned about keeping the doors open. I know there has been a lot of talk about sick days and small businesses, and I can say from my own experience that it not only works, but it helps my business thrive. The Institute for Women's Policy Research reports that earned sick days will save Philadelphia employers more than half a million dollars a year. For me, it is central part of my business plan. By offering my staff paid sick days, they know that I value and appreciate them, and it has helped me attract and retain a talented and dedicated staff....
A few paid sick days are not going to make or break any business in this or any other economic climate. City Council has done the right thing, and parents, kids, teachers, workers and business owners need Mayor Nutter to stand up on the right side of this issue. Mayor Nutter, please don't be swayed by the scare tactics of the business lobbyists. Sign the earned sick days bill for Philadelphia families, communities and businesses.
Where in the World is Mayor Nutter?
Mayor Nutter has nothing on his public calendar today (so far).
You can find Mayor Nutter's daily schedule at http://www.phila.gov/mayor/itinerary.html.
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
NutterWatch: 2 Days To Meet the Needs of Philadelphians with Autism
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 is the 6th Annual World Autism Awareness Day. Awareness of autism has been growing in recent years thanks to many champions of the issue, including Councilman Dennis O'Brien. Here in Philadelphia, we have an opportunity to increase our awareness by increasing the access parents and families have to doctors - that is, by supporting earned sick days.
Data from the Pennsylvania Autism Services, Education, Resources and Training Collaborative (ASERT) shows that nearly half of Philadelphia families need to visit 3+ doctors just to get an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) diagnosis. 23 percent of caretakers reported they had to decrease their work hours following a diagnosis. Almost 60 percent reported having to work fewer hours or having to stop work altogether.
Early diagnosis is critical to treating autism - but how can a family without earned sick days have time to get to just one doctor, much less three or more? How many of the families who have to work fewer hours might be able to get by if they could earn sick days?
If Philadelphia is going to be aware of autism, we also must be aware of the needs that families with ASD diagnoses' face. Earned sick days won't cure those needs, but they will certainly give more options for treatment. If you think Mayor Nutter should make earned sick days an option for working families, please sign our petition and let him know!
In the News
Holly Otterbein reports that Mayor Nutter needs to decide on earned sick days this week. She quotes the bill sponsor, Councilman Bill Greenlee, as saying:
"We have put a 'mom and pop' exemption in so companies with five or less employees would not have to provide any paid sick days," he said. "We've excluded interns, pool employees, that kind of thing. So we think we've made this a very palatable bill."
Where in the World is Mayor Nutter?
You can find Mayor Nutter's daily schedule at http://www.phila.gov/mayor/itinerary.html.
Monday, April 1, 2013
NutterWatch: 3 Days To Protect Philadelphia's Children and Caretakers
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.
When we think about the need for earned sick days, most people point to the restaurant industry as the place most in need of a minimum standard. Restaurant workers come into contact with our food at all points of the process, and in Philadelphia, 92% (more than the industry standard) have no access to earned sick days.
However, restaurant workers are not the only ones we should worry about. Among the nearly 200,000 workers without earned sick days, many, in fact, are child care workers. Many families trust their children to child care centers each day without thinking about the benefits that those workers do (or do not) earn. But workers are at risk of giving and receiving illnesses in addition to education and care in many facilities.
One worker, Karen, testified at the March 5 Philadelphia hearing on earned sick days that she contracted impetigo from a child in her classroom. Karen was hospitalized for three days and missed two weeks of work (and pay) while recovering. While this incident happened in early November 2012, Karen and her family are still trying to recover from the financial impact of the lost income.
Dewetta Logan, a child care owner in West Philadelphia, sees the need to offer earned sick days from a practical and a compassionate side. She says:
The children in our care are the top priority for my business, so it doesn't make sense to have one of our employees working while sick. When members of my staff aren't feeling well, they can't give the children their full attention. Furthermore, coughs and colds can spread quickly among children, and I don't want to be responsible for sickening a child who started the day healthy.Shouldn't the health of our children (and those who care for them) be everyone's top priority? If you agree, please tell Mayor Nutter by signing our petition today.
In The News
Today in The Huffington Post, Ellen Bravo of Family Values at Work looks at what is driving the momentum behind earned sick days. She says:
Key to success has been engaging workers who know all too well what it means to lack paid sick days -- people like Shayna, a therapeutic activities worker at a nursing home in Philadelphia who had to go work with an injured hip, or Tamara in New York, who after caring for her sick daughter had to decide whether the lost pay meant going without a metro card or without a phone.
Local business partners are also important, because they help shatter the identity theft of corporate lobbyists who claim to speak for all employers. Small business owners like Leni Juca, owner of Oxium Print and Copy in Queens, N.Y., say their employees already earn paid sick days because it's the smart as well as the right thing to do. "With a small business like this one," Juca said, "we can't afford to get each other sick."
Where in the World is Mayor Nutter?
Mayor Nutter is scheduled to be at the 2PM Subaru Cherry Blossom Festival Kickoff Event. You can find his daily schedule at http://www.phila.gov/mayor/itinerary.html.
Saturday, March 30, 2013
NutterWatch: 5 Days to Pass A Litmus Test for Philadelphians
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.
An article published on Salon.com is getting a lot of attention as the momentum builds for earned sick days. Philadelphia's own Randy LoBasso makes the case for earned sick days as a "litmus test" for progressive politicians across the country. As City Council speaker and New York City mayoral hopeful Christine Quinn finally accepted this week, earned sick days is an issue that is not going away. After three years of refusing to bring the bill up for a vote (despite enough sponsors to have a veto-proof majority), on Thursday Quinn agreed to a compromise bill that will bring earned sick days to NYC beginning in 2014.
Of Mayor Nutter and Philadelphia City Council, LoBasso says the following:
Earlier this month, the city councilman responsible for earned sick time legislation came face-to-face with the mayoral administration that’d been fighting against his bill for over two years. A member of the health commission in the local City Council, Democrat Bill Greenlee became visibly distraught when the Democratic administration of Mayor Michael Nutter sent its director of commerce to testify to the health committee, instead of the health commissioner.
“The truth is, a big part of this issue is about the health of Philadelphians, the health of low-income workers,” Greenlee told commerce director Alan Greenberger, the latter of whom claimed a potential paid sick leave law in Philadelphia would hurt the city’s reeling economy. “And to steal Jack Nicholson’s line,” the councilman continued, “‘you can’t handle the truth,’ OK?”
The bill passed, but Nutter — who made headlines again and again last fall while relentlessly campaigning for President Barack Obama — is expected to veto the legislation, as he did Greenlee’s original incarnation of the bill in 2011. And if he does (he has until April 4 to make up his mind), he’ll be making an increasingly unpopular decision on an issue that’s becoming part of the national Democratic platform — and a bipartisan one across the country.As LoBasso points out later in the article, 86 percent of nationwide voters support earned sick days. Says Molly Murphy of Anzalone Liszt Grove, earned sick days "transcends party lines."
If you are one of the 86 percent of voters who support earned sick days, now is the time to let Mayor Nutter know. Please click here and sign our petition!
In the News
In addition to the Salon.com article, Huffington Post also has a piece up on the increased momentum brought by earned sick days. Here is what they have to say about Philadelphia:
Marianne Bellesorte, leader of the Philadelphia Healthy Families and Workplaces Coalition, a prominent backer of the paid sick leave bill in Philadelphia's city council, said she thinks the news from New York could help persuade Philadelphia Mayor Nutter to sign the legislation.
Back in 2011, Nutter vetoed an earlier version of the bill. Since then, support for the measure has grown considerably. Bellesorte described New York's announcement as evidence of an important shift in momentum.
"We're very excited about what's been happening in New York," she said. "We hope that Mayor Nutter can really take the lead on earned sick days here Philadelphia."
Where in the World is Mayor Nutter?
You can find Mayor Nutter's daily schedule at http://www.phila.gov/mayor/itinerary.html.
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
NutterWatch: 8 Days To Make Job Security Real For Philadelphians
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.
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Testimony from March 5 Hearing
Thanks to everyone who was able to attend the hearing on March 5. Please find copies of the Coalition's testimony below.Dr. Claudia Williams, Institute for Women’s Policy Research
Steve Herzenberg, Keystone Research Center
Karen Barnes
Rosemary Devine
Teresa Mansell, Childspace CDI
Aliya Johnson, Childcare Owner
Liz McElroy, AFL-CIO
Dr. Walter Tsou, past president of the American Public Health Association and former health
commissioner of Philadelphia
Julie Avalos, Congreso de Lations Unidos
Marianne Bellesorte, Senior Director of Public Policy and Media Relations, PathWays PA
Fabricio Rodriguez, Lead Coordinator, ROC Philadelphia
Written Testimony
Congressman Robert Brady
Gale Brewer, City Councilwoman, New York City
Dr. James Plumb, Jefferson Hospital
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Press Release: Philadelphians Call for Paid Sick Days at City Council Hearing
Citing New Research Showing Sick Days Would Save Employers and Healthcare Providers Millions of Dollars,
PHILADELPHIANS CALL FOR PAID SICK DAYS AT CITY COUNCIL HEARING
Economists, Business Owners, Community Leaders, Labor Unions and Women’s Rights Advocates Urge Council Members to Stand Up for Families at Public Hearing
PHILADELPHIA—In a hearing at City Council today, small business owners, workers, doctors, and economists from Philadelphia called on Council Members to pass the Healthy Families and Workplaces Bill and side with Philadelphia families, rather than corporate lobbyists like the Chamber of Commerce and the National Federation of Independent Businesses, who are spreading misinformation about the legislation. The bill, which has eight co-sponsors, would ensure that nearly 200,000 Philadelphians who do not have access to paid sick time are able to take time off when they or their families are ill.
“I’ve worked as a waitress several times over the years. I know everyone who waitresses works while they’re sick because they don’t have sick time and they need the money.” said Rosemary from Philadelphia. “You have to put food on the table, you have to keep the lights on. There’s no discount pump at the gas station for people who’ve had the flu.”
Councilman Bill Greenlee introduced the 2013 Healthy Families and Workplaces Bill, which has eight Co-Sponsors, including Council President Darrell Clarke, Councilman Curtis Jones, Councilwoman Maria Quinones-Sanchez, Councilwoman Cindy Bass, Councilwoman Marian Tasco, Councilman W. Wilson Goode, Jr., and Councilman Kenyatta Johnson. The bill, supported by the Philadelphia’s Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces, would enable workers to earn one hour of sick time for every 40 hours worked, while protecting the flexibility that small business owners need to thrive.
“No one should be forced to work sick or abandon a loved one in need of care for fear of losing their job,” said Councilman Greenlee. “We heard today from people who were fired, or people who worked sick and put off critical medical treatment because they didn’t have sick time. That’s not good for anybody and we must do better.”
Recent data from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research shows sick days will save Philadelphia businesses more than half a million dollars per year by reducing turnover and increasing productivity, and it will save the city an estimated $10.3 million a year in healthcare costs by reducing preventable emergency room visits. Numerous other studies show the positive impact that earned sick days has on businesses and the economy, and cities and states have been adopting earned sick days policies to help improve public health and bolster the economic recovery over recent years.
Economists say job retention policies like earned sick days help reduce unemployment and strengthen economic recovery. San Francisco, which has had an earned sick days law for six years, was rated by PricewaterhouseCoopers in 2011 as one of the top cities in the world to do business, and more than two in three San Francisco businesses support the local law with six in seven reporting no negative impact on profitability.
“Our employees stay at Childspace for years. I attribute that in part to our sick time policy,” said Teresa Mansell, President of Childspace Management Group which operates three centers with over 50 employees. “Low turnover among employees saves money and builds loyalty among staff and our customers. That means I can trust my employees to run the business smoothly when I need a sick day.”
The Center for Disease Control estimates that 7 million Americans were infected by co-workers who went to work sick during the 2009 H1N1 outbreak. CDC also estimates the average annual cost to employers of the flu at $10.4 billion, with the cost of this year’s epidemic expected to be much higher. It is for this reason that business owners support earned sick time legislation.
“When workers have paid sick days, they are able to take time off for preventive care and chronic disease management, reducing burdens on our hospitals and emergency departments, and contributing to a healthier workforce,” said Dr. James Plumb, a Philadelphia doctor and Director of the Center for Urban Health at Thomas Jefferson University. “I have patients who forego on-going care because they face loss of wages or job loss. Nobody should have to make these choices.”
“It’s time for the City Council to stand up for Philadelphia’s families by passing earned paid sick days,” said Marianne Bellesorte, Senior Director of Public Policy and Media Relations at PathWays PA. “Paid sick time is about more than keeping people healthy, it’s about keeping hardworking people in their jobs, and providing families with much-needed relief.”
Across the country, cities and states have been adopting paid sick days policies to help improve public health and bolster the economic recovery. In 2011, Connecticut passed the first statewide paid sick days law, followed soon after by a law in Seattle. San Francisco and Washington, DC have had successful policies for years. City Councils and State Legislatures in Portland, Massachusetts, New York City and others are building support for earned sick time policies.
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Monday, March 4, 2013
Media Advisory: Philadelphians to Call for Earned Sick Days
Citing New Research Showing Sick Days Would Save Employers and Healthcare Providers Millions of Dollars,
PHILADELPHIANS TO CALL FOR EARNED SICK DAYS
City Council to Hear from Economists, Business Owners, Community Leaders, Labor Unions and Women’s Rights Advocates at Public Hearing
PHILADELPHIA—At a hearing in City Council on Tuesday, small business owners, workers, doctors and economists will be calling on Council Members to pass the Healthy Families and Workplaces Bill. The group, organized by Philadelphia’s Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces, is calling on Council Members to side with Philadelphia families rather than the corporate lobbyists who are spreading misinformation about the legislation. The bill, which has eight co-sponsors, would ensure that 200,000 Philadelphians who do not have access to paid sick time are able to take time off when they or their families are ill.
At the hearing, the group will cite new data from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) which show sick days will save Philadelphia businesses more than half a million per year and an estimated $10.3 million a year in healthcare costs.
WHAT:
Hearing on the Philadelphia Earned Sick Days Bill
WHEN:
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
9:45 AM – Press Conference outside Council Chambers
10:00 am – Hearing begins
WHERE:
City Hall, 4th Floor Hallway
WHO:
Doctors, economists, workers and children and members of the Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces
Across the country, cities and states have been adopting paid sick days policies to help improve public health and bolster the economic recovery. In 2011, Connecticut passed the first statewide paid sick days law, followed soon after by a law in Seattle. San Francisco and Washington, DC have had successful policies for years. City Councils and State Legislatures in Portland, Massachusetts, New York City and others are building support for earned sick time policies.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Paid Sick Days: Recapping 2011 and Looking Forward to 2012
- The state of Connecticut became the first US state to pass a paid sick days measure ensuring that workers who are ill can earn sick days to care for themselves and their family members. This bill took effect January 1, 2012.
- The city of Seattle, Washington, also passed a bill providing workers in the city with the opportunity to earn sick days. This bill goes into effect on September 1, 2012.
- Here in Philadelphia, two bills passed City Council regarding paid sick days. The first, vetoed by Mayor Nutter, would have provided workers with the opportunity to earn sick days in the city of Philadelphia. The second bill, which will go into effect on July 1, 2012, ensures workers covered by the city's living wage ordinance have access to paid sick days.
In 2012, according to Family Values @ Work, a national network of state and local coalitions helping spur the growing movement for family-friendly workplace policies, 16 cities and states will be active in paid family leave or paid sick days campaigns. Philadelphia plans to lead the way by reintroducing a bill on paid sick days in City Council in early 2012.
Please help us kick off another great year by joining us for a Happy Hour at El Fuego on January 10, 2012. El Fuego is a business that provides their workers with the opportunity to earn paid sick days. They have been designated by the Restaurant Opportunities Center as a high road employer. Help us support a business that supports their workers!
You can RSVP below:
Paid Sick Days Happy Hour
Tuesday, January 10
5PM - 7PM
El Fuego
723 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA
Please help us kick off another great year by joining us for a Happy Hour at El Fuego on January 10, 2012. El Fuego is a business that provides their workers with the opportunity to earn paid sick days. They have been designated by the Restaurant Opportunities Center as a high road employer. Help us support a business that supports their workers!
You can RSVP below:
Paid Sick Days Happy Hour
Tuesday, January 10
5PM - 7PM
El Fuego
723 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA
Thursday, October 27, 2011
PSD for City Contractors and Subsidy Recipients is Law in Philadelphia!
The employers described below are considered "covered employers":
- The City of Philadelphia, including all its agencies, departments and offices.
- For-profit Service Contractors, which receive or are subcontractors on contract(s) for $10,000 or more from the City in a twelve-month period, with annual gross receipts of more than $1,000,000.
- Non-profit Service Contractors which receive or are subcontractors on contract(s) from the City of more than $100,000 in a twelve-month period.
- Recipients of City leases, concessions, or franchises, or subcontractors thereof, which employ more than twenty-five (25) employees.
- City financial aid recipients. Compliance shall be required for a period of five (5) years following receipt of aid.
- Public agencies which receive contract(s) for $10,000 or more from the City in a twelve-month period.
The Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces would like to thank Councilman Goode, who was the main sponsor of the bill, as well as to the other 8 cosponsors and the members who voted for this bill on October 13.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Paid Sick Days Amendment Passed City Council!
Today Philadelphia City Council voted 15 to 2 to add paid sick days to the 21st Century Minimum Wage and Benefits Standard. Workers that are employed by businesses that receive money from the city will now be able to earn paid sick days.
Thank you to Councilman Goode and all members of Council who voted for this important bill. Watch the vote take place and amazing remarks from Councilman Goode in the video below.
Thank you to Councilman Goode and all members of Council who voted for this important bill. Watch the vote take place and amazing remarks from Councilman Goode in the video below.
Friday, October 7, 2011
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Out of Committee and On To A Vote!
After unanimously passing out of committee, the paid sick days amendment to the 21st Century Minimum Wage and Benefits Act is set for final passage next week. If you want to read about yesterday's hearing, please check out these articles:
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