NEW DATE! Join Us on February 3 for the Hearing on Earned Sick Days in City Council!

UPDATED: Due to the snow, the hearing has been moved to February 3 at 11:30 AM.

Do workers deserve Paid Sick Time? YES THEY DO!

Join us February 3 and let your voice be heard on the Earned Sick Time bill, a bill that would affect 120,000 workers in Philadelphia. 40% of Philadelphia workers do not receive earned sick days, and 120,000 people would receive the benefits if this law were to pass.

Council needs to hear from you! Join us to send the message clear and strong, the time for earned sick days is now!

Let us know that you are attending by signing up on Facebook today! https://www.facebook.com/events/1538444993097648/?source=1


¿Piensas que los trabajadores deben recibir tiempo pagado por enfermedad en sus trabajo? CLARO QUE SI!

Únase con nosotros el 3 de febrero para que su voz sea oída en la propuesta de ley para dias de enfermedad pagados, una propuesta ley que afectaría a 120.000 trabajadores en Filadelfia. 40% de los trabajadores de Filadelfia no reciben dias por enfermedad pagado, y 120.000 personas podría recibir los beneficios si esta ley se aprobara.

2015 será el año en que nos convertimos este proyecto en ley.

Y para tener un ley fuerte el Consejal necesita saber de usted! Únase con nosotros para enviar el mensaje claro y fuerte, el tiempo para los días de enfermedad pagados es ahora.

Contact Your Elected Officials in Harrisburg and Remind Them "Paid Sick Days are Important"!

HB1796, a bill that would help survivors of domestic violence, is currently being used as a vehicle to preempt local governments from passing any type of paid leave policies such as paid family leave and paid sick days.

The bill is currently in the State Senate now contains language that would not permit local governments the opportunity to adopt ordinances allowing those same survivors to access much needed time to meet with authorities or care for themselves or their family members.

It is important that our elected officials know if you support survivors of domestic violence and HB1796, but only if language not allowing local government to allow paid leave policies is removed.

Issues as important as these, which have majority local support is most counties in Pennsylvania deserve to have the opportunity to be discussed with local officials who are responsible for their communities.

To find out who your legislator is, and to contact them, please click here!

Philadelphia's Pregnancy Accommodations Law is Going Into Effect

The latest change to the Fair Practices Ordinance in Philadelphia is a win for PathWays PA, the Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces, and of course for pregnant women working in Philadelphia. Under the additional legislation, which was signed by Mayor Nutter in January 2014, employees who are pregnant or recently gave birth can ask for reasonable workplace accommodations without fear of losing their jobs.

Under the law, those requests might include asking for bathroom or rest breaks, access to water, assistance lifting items or re-assignment with manual labor duties, for example.

Employers in Philadelphia are required to post notification of the law by April 20. The Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations has issued a poster that offers a plain-language explanation of the law. A downloadable electronic copy of the poster is available on the PCHR web site. Hard copies are available at the PCHR office and area chambers of commerce also have agreed to help their members obtain hard-copy posters.

The poster is in English, but other languages and related brochures will be made available shortly. For details about the law and its requirements, visit www.phila.gov/humanrelations or call (215) 686-4670.

Thanks to the PCHR for information on this bill and its notifications.

The Latest on Earned Sick Days from Across the Country

Since New York City overrode Mayor Michael Bloomburg's veto to pass earned sick days, more reporters have been covering the topic. Here is some of the latest news:

• For Millions of Workers, Getting Sick Doesn't Pay - "due to the absence of a national policy and because the choice to provide sick leave is mostly left to businesses, an estimated 38 percent of U.S. workers, or almost 40 million, lack any paid sick leave, according to the Center for American Progress."
• Paid Sick Leave Laws Generate Concern, but Not Much Pain - "Six years later, Mr. Stone admits to having been a little alarmist about paid sick leave. “As a small restaurant business, it’s really hard to make money, and when they add another requirement, it makes you nervous,” Mr. Stone said in a recent interview. “But all and all, I actually think it’s a good thing.” "
• Policies to Reduce Influenza in the Workplace: Impact Assessments Using an Agent-Based Model - Conclusions. PSDs reduce influenza transmission owing to presenteeism and, hence, the burden of influenza illness in workplaces.
• Audit of the Accrued Sick and Safe Leave Act of 2008 - The Act neither discouraged business owners from locating in the District nor encouraged business owners to move their businesses from the District.

NutterWatch: 7 Days To Make Equality 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.

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.

Siding with Working Families, Philadelphia City Council Passes Earned Sick Days

Earned Sick Days Will Boost the Economy, Protect Public Health, And Save Philly $10.3 Million A Year

PHILADELPHIA—Philadelphia City Council members voted to pass the Healthy Families and Workplaces Bill on Thursday morning, taking the next critical step in making Philadelphia the latest city in a growing national movement to adopt a paid sick days policy. Passed with strong support from local small businesses, workers, civil rights organizations, advocacy groups for seniors, women, children and the disabled, public health experts, community groups and healthcare professionals, the bill will extend earned sick days to nearly 200,000 workers in Philadelphia, so they are no longer forced to work sick or risk losing critical income or their job. 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.

“Earned sick days is a smart economic policy and it’s the right policy for Philadelphia,” said Councilman Bill Greenlee, who championed the bill. “We need to make sure that working families can cover the basics by enabling them to hang on to critical income when they or their families are ill.”

During the vote, more than 100 people organized by Philadelphia’s Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces filled the room to show their support. The bill will 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. The vote in Philadelphia follows a victory in Portland, Oregon, where the city council voted unanimously in favor of paid sick days on Wednesday morning, making it the fourth city to adopt a paid sick days policy.

“For too many Philadelphia families, taking a child to the doctor or staying home with the flu meant losing needed pay – or even a job,” said Marianne Bellesorte, Senior Director of Public Policy and Media Relations at PathWays PA. “Today the City Council stood with Philadelphia’s families by passing paid sick days, so workers can cover the basics by making sure families don't lose critical income or their jobs when they get sick.”

Introduced with eight co-sponsors, and the support of Philadelphia’s Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces, earned sick days passed with 11 votes from Councilman Bill Greenlee, Council President Darrell Clarke, Councilman Curtis Jones, Councilwoman Maria Quinones-Sanchez, Councilwoman Cindy Bass, Councilwoman Marian Tasco, Councilman W. Wilson Goode, Jr., Councilman Kenyatta Johnson, Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell, Councilman Bobby Henon, and Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown.

“Turnover among employees is a major cost and a top concern for. When we take care of our employees, they take care of us, and our business thrives,” said Yvonne Thomas, an Action United member and owner of Precious Babies, a daycare in North Philadelphia. “As a business owner, I also can tell you that we need people coming through our doors with money in their pockets. Paid sick days will help Philly’s families—and my customers—stay afloat financially even if they get sick, and that’s good for business.”

In June 2011, Philadelphia City Council passed a similar bill, which Mayor Nutter overturned, going against the will of the Council. The City Council then passed a version of the sick days bill as part of the 21st Century Minimum Wage and Benefits Standard, extending paid sick day protections to employees of some companies that contract with or get subsidies from the City.

“Thankfully I have earned sick days and I don’t know what I would do without them. When I get sick, I am able to go to the doctor and move on. That’s the way it should be for every working person in Philadelphia,” said 32BJ SEIU member Darren McKoy.

Council’s passage of sick days in Philadelphia follows recent wins in Portland, Oregon on Thursday, Connecticut, which passed the first statewide law in 2011, Seattle in 2011, Washington DC in 2008, San Francisco in 2006, and a victorious ballot initiative in Long Beach, California that granted sick days to hotel workers in November 2012.

As Flu Epidemic Spreads, Philadelphians Call for Earned Sick Days

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 24, 2013
CONTACT: Emma Stieglitz, emmaS@berlinrosen.com, (646) 200-5307
Marianne Bellesorte, mbellesorte@pathwayspa.org,
Aruna Jain, ajain@workingamerica.org

As flu epidemic spreads,
PHILADELPHIANS CALL FOR EARNED SICK DAYS

Council Members Re-Introduce Earned Sick Days Bill to Protect Public Health, Boost the Economy, and Strengthen Financial Security for Working Families

PHILADELPHIA—In a strong show of support, small business owners, workers, doctors, health care practitioners, economists, parents and Philadelphia City Council Members rallied behind a new push for earned sick days in City Hall Thursday morning. The group, organized by Philadelphia’s Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces, is calling on City Council to pass the Healthy Families and Workplaces Bill, which would ensure that the 200,000 Philadelphians who do not have access to paid sick days are able to take time off when they or their families are ill.

“In this economy, we need to make sure that people can afford to stay home when they or a loved one are sick without fear of falling behind on bills or losing their job,” said Councilman Bill Greenlee, Co-Sponsor of the 2013 Healthy Families and Workplaces Bill. “No working person in Philadelphia should be forced to choose between their family’s economic security and their family’s health.”

Councilman Bill Greenlee introduced the 2013 Healthy Families and Workplaces Bill, whose cosponsors include Council President Darrell Clarke, Councilman Curtis Jones, Councilwoman Maria Quinones-Sanchez, Councilwoman Cindy Bass, Councilwoman Marian Tasco, and Councilman W. Wilson Goode, Jr. More than 100 Philadelphians lined the halls to show their support for the bill, which 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.

In the middle of the worst flu season in a decade that has resulted in 22 deaths in Pennsylvania alone, the urgent need for earned sick days and its immediate public health benefits are clear. 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. According to an October 2012 report by the Restaurant Opportunities Center, more than 92 percent of the workers in Philadelphia’s booming restaurant industry are unable to earn paid sick time. Of the nearly 65 percent of restaurant workers who admitted to working while sick, more than 70 percent said they had no choice because they could not afford to miss a day’s wages.

"About a year or so ago I became ill and had to make the choice that my health was worth more to me than my rent. Unfortunately I lost my job. Most workers do not make the same choice I made nor have option to take the day off and are inclined to work sick," said Calvin, a restaurant worker from South Philly. "In this economy you can’t ask anyone to risk their job or give up wages. Whether it’s a cold, flu, stomach virus, injury, you name it, people are being forced to choose between keeping food on the table and taking time off. That’s really no choice at all.”

The CDC estimates the average cost to employers of the flu at $10.4 billion, but the cost of this year’s epidemic is expected to be much higher. It is for this reason that more business owners are supporting earned sick days legislation.

“My business operates on tight margins, and I’ve found that offering paid sick time to my employees is a policy that boosts my bottom line,” said Lori Davis, Development Director at Porter's Childcare, in North Philadelphia with 65 employees. “When one of my employees is sick, I want them to stay home, recover and come back focused and ready to work. Turnover is a huge cost for a business, and training new employees is expensive. My employees stick with me for years, and that helps my business run smoothly.”
In 2011, a majority of Council Members sponsored a similar bill that was later overturned by Mayor Nutter under pressure from big business lobbyists. The Council then passed a sick time bill covering workers whose employers operate on city contracts.

Numerous 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 the past year. 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.

“We can’t afford to wait any longer,” said Marianne Bellesorte, Senior Director of Public Policy and Media Relations at PathWays PA. “We hope this is the year that Philadelphia’s workers will finally get some much-needed relief, and our city will be healthier for it. We need earned sick days to prevent a public health crisis like this flu from becoming a financial crisis for working families.”

Across the country, cities and states have been adopting paid sick days policies to help improve public health and bolster the economic recovery. In the summer of 2011, Connecticut passed the first statewide paid sick days law, followed soon after by a city-wide law in Seattle adding to the existing laws in San Francisco and Washington, DC, and to growing momentum from active campaigns in Portland, Massachusetts, New York City and others.

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The Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces
Action AIDS ▪ ACTION United ▪ African American United Fund ▪ AFSCME DC47 ▪ AIDS Fund ▪ Asian Americans United ▪ American Federation of Teachers Local 2026 ▪ Americans for Democratic Action of Southeastern Pennsylvania ▪ Bebashi: Transition to Hope ▪ Bread and Roses ▪ Ceiba ▪ Center for the Empowerment of Women ▪ Childspace CDI ▪ ChristMissionary Crusade Fellowship Church ▪ Coalition of Labor Union Women ▪Covenant House ▪ Delaware Valley Associations for the Education of Young Children ▪ Dignity Housing ▪ Disabled in Action of Pennsylvania ▪ District 1199C Training Upgrading Fund ▪ East Parkside Resident Association ▪ Easter Seals ▪ Ebenezer Temple Pentacostal Church ▪ Education Not Incarceration – Delaware Valley Chapter ▪ Family Planning Council ▪ Family Practice & Counseling Network ▪ Galaei ▪ Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger ▪ Green Party of Philadelphia ▪ Health Care for All Philadelphia ▪ Healthcare NOW ▪ Health Federation of Philadelphia ▪ Health Professionals and Allied Employees, Local 5106 Temple/Episcopal ▪ Impact Services Corporation ▪ Institute for the Advancement of Working Families ▪ Interfaith Hospitality Network of Northwest Philadelphia ▪ Interim House ▪ Jewish Labor Committee ▪ Jobs with Justice ▪ Juntos ▪ Keystone Progress ▪ Keystone Research Center ▪ Linda Creed Cancer Center ▪ Living Water United Church of Christ ▪ Maternity Care Coalition ▪ Mazzoni Center ▪ Media Mobilizing Project ▪ Mount Pisgah A. M. E. Church ▪ Moxie Women ▪ National Association of Social Workers - PA Chapter ▪ National Council of Jewish Women - Greater Philadelphia Section ▪ National Lawyers Guild, Philadelphia Chapter ▪ National Nursing Centers Consortium ▪ National Organization for Women (Phila. Chapter) ▪Neighborhood Interfaith Movement ▪ Neighborhood Networks ▪ New World Association ▪ New Sanctuary Movement ▪ PathWays PA ▪ Penn ACTION ▪ Pennsylvania AFL-CIO ▪ Pennsylvania AIDS Law Project ▪ Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses & Allied Partners ▪ Pennsylvania Coalition of Nurse Practitioners ▪ Pennsylvania Council of Churches ▪ Pennsylvania NOW, Inc. ▪ Pennsylvania Direct Care Workers Association ▪ People’s Emergency Center ▪ PFT (AFT 3) ▪ Philadelphia Council AFL-CIO ▪ Philadelphia Family Pride ▪ Philadelphia FIGHT ▪ Philadelphia Jewish Labor Council ▪ Philadelphia Physicians for Social Responsibility ▪ Philadelphia Security Officers Union ▪ Philadelphia Student Union ▪ Philadelphia Unemployment Project ▪ PhilaPOSH ▪ Philly for Change ▪ Project H.O.M.E. ▪ Public Citizens for Children and Youth ▪ Reconstruction, Inc ▪ SEIU 32BJ ▪ SEIU Healthcare PA ▪ SeniorLAW Center ▪ Support Center for Child Advocates ▪ Taxi Workers Alliance for Pennsylvania ▪ Teacher Action Group Philadelphia ▪ The Campaign for Working Families ▪ Training for Change ▪ TWU Local 234 ▪ TURN ▪ UFCW Local 1776 ▪ USW 10-1 ▪ William Way ▪ Witnesses to Hunger ▪ Women Against Abuse ▪ Women's Community Revitalization Project ▪ Women in Transition ▪ Women’s Law Project ▪ Women Organized Against Rape ▪ WOMEN’S WAY ▪ Women Vote PA ▪ Working America ▪ Working Group for Grassroots Movement ▪ Youth Services, Inc.
National Partners
9to5, National Association of Working Women ▪ A Better Balance ▪ CLASP ▪ Direct Care Alliance ▪ Family Values @ Work Consortium ▪ Institute for Women’s Policy Research ▪ MomsRising ▪ National Partnership for Women & Families ▪ Restaurant Opportunities Centers United (ROC United)

A Victory for Workers in Philadelphia

Last week Philadelphia’s City Council passed the Gratuity Protection Bill that makes the deduction of credit card fees from tips left by customers illegal. Councilman Kenney, a former restaurant worker, was the sponsor of this bill.

This bill will impact all workers that are paid in tips including those that work in restaurant, salons, and drive taxi cabs. It has been common practice for employers to take any credit card fees out of an employee’s tips. Tipped workers are generally low wage workers struggling to make ends meet. For example, the majority of restaurant workers have an average wage of only $14,000 per year and a minimum tipped wage of only $2.83 per hour. Every dollar makes a difference and getting to keep all the money they earn now will help they are not going hungry or unable to pay their bills.


Watch a video of one restaurant workers discussing why this bill is important.

Employers who violate the Gratuity-Protection Law will have to repay workers any portion of the tip that was taken and can be fined $2,000 plus court and attorneys fees. The legislation will potentially raise the wages for the estimated 26,000 tipped workers in the Philadelphia area.

Two Coalition partners helped ensure this victory – ROC – Philadelphia and the Taxi Workers Alliance for Pennsylvania. Congratulations to everyone who worked on this bill and we look forward to keeping the momentum going for bills to protect workers as we reintroduce paid sick days in the next year!

PSD for City Contractors and Subsidy Recipients is Law in Philadelphia!

Great news! The paid sick days amendment to Philadelphia's 21st Century Minimum Wage and Benefits Ordinance, which passed 15-2 on October 13, became law today.  This bill, which will go into effect on July 1, 2011, will ensure that covered employers shall provide to each full-time, non-temporary, non-seasonal covered employee at least the number of earned sick leave days that the employer would have been required to provide to such employees if the provisions of Bill No. 080474-AA, as passed by Council on June 16, 2011, had been enacted into law rather than vetoed by the Mayor.

The employers described below are considered "covered employers":

1. The City of Philadelphia, including all its agencies, departments and offices. 
2. 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. 
3. 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. 
4. Recipients of City leases, concessions, or franchises, or subcontractors thereof, which employ more than twenty-five (25) employees. 
5. City financial aid recipients. Compliance shall be required for a period of five (5) years following receipt of aid. 
6. Public agencies which receive contract(s) for $10,000 or more from the City in a twelve-month period. 

The Philadelphia Living Wage and Benefits Law already requires those City-supported employers to pay at least 150% of the federal minimum wage to its employees. It also mandates that if the employer provides healthcare benefits to any of its employees, the employer shall provide each full-time employee healthcare benefits at least as valuable as the basic healthcare benefits that are provided to the employer's other full-time employees. There is an exemption for small businesses.

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.

Tell Mayor Nutter How You Feel About Sick Days

On October 13, City Council members passed a bill introduced by Councilman Wilson Goode, Jr., that amends the 21st Century Minimum Wage and Benefits Act to ensure all workers whose employers contract with the city or receive public subsidies can earn paid sick days. This bill ensures that city tax dollars only fund jobs that support public health, families, and the community.

The bill now goes to the Mayor's desk, and he needs to hear from you!

Please take a moment to send a letter to the Mayor telling him your feelings about paid sick days.

Another Victory for Working Families in Philadelphia: Paid Sick Days Amendment to 21st Century Minimum Wage and Benefits Standard Passes City Council 15-2, Awaits Mayor's Signature

With this bill, Philadelphia becomes the first city in the country to make paid sick days part of their living wage ordinance

Philadelphia, PA - When a loved one becomes ill, are you forced to choose between caring for them or losing a paycheck, or even your job?  People without paid sick days at their jobs often face these impossible choices -- between the work they need and the families they love. Today, Philadelphia's City Council took a step towards giving Philadelphia workers a new choice: the opportunity to earn sick days.

Full-time workers at companies who contract with the city or who receive city subsidies will now be eligible to earn up to seven paid sick days each year under a bill introduced by Councilman W. Wilson Goode, Jr., and passed by City Council today. Bill 110557, an ordinance ensuring that all employers who fall under the 21st Century Minimum Wage and Benefits Standard must provide sick days to their full time workers, passed with a vote of 15-2. It now awaits the Mayor's signature.

"The health and livelihoods of all Philadelphians are compromised when working people are forced to go to their jobs when they're sick," said Marianne Bellesorte, Senior Director of Policy at PathWays PA. "City Council took an important step today by ensuring that city tax dollars only fund jobs that support public health, families, and the community."

Studies in other cities show that both businesses and employees benefit from earned sick days policies. Businesses save money from higher productivity and lower turnover, and workers use paid sick leave responsibly and often do not use all of the time offered to them. A study of San Francisco's paid sick days law shows many business concerns about job loss were unfounded, with six in seven employers saying that paid sick days have had no negative effect on profitability and two-thirds of employers surveyed supporting the law.

"Earned sick days are good for business and good for working families," said Rebecca Foley, Director of Public Policy at WOMEN'S WAY. "This bill is the next step to making sure that all Philadelphians have access to paid sick days."

In June 2011, City Council passed a bill that would give all Philadelphia workers an opportunity to earn paid sick days at work. Mayor Nutter vetoed that bill at the Chamber of Commerce. A similar bill will be introduced next year.

STATEMENT OF ELLEN BRAVO, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, FAMILY VALUES @ WORK

"National momentum for paid sick days continues to grow as elected leaders in yet another city voted today to help working people squeezed by the economy. Philadelphia joins Connecticut and Seattle in voting this year to enact this common sense reform that will boost public health and strengthen families and the economy both.

"The Philadelphia law is a simple change that will have a major positive impact on the lives of thousands of families. Paid sick days will support economic recovery by helping people keep their jobs. Paid sick days are good for workers and their families, good for businesses and, with flu season approaching, good for the public health. We look forward to continued progress in Philadelphia this January when the new City Council will take up comprehensive paid sick days legislation that covers more workers.

"With Denver residents voting now for a paid sick days ballot initiative and with diverse grassroots coalitions backing active legislation in New York City, Massachusetts and many other places, this is a movement that continues to grow."

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.

New Article in the Philadelphia Inquirer: "Leave rules in city enough to make advocates sick"

This story was only available in the print edition of the Inquirer.

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:

• October 6, 2011 - New sick-day proposal passes a Council test 
• October 6, 2011 - Phila. sick leave bill scaled back 
• October 5, 2011 - Revised Mandatory Sick Leave Bill Set For Full Philadelphia City Council Vote
• October 5, 2011 - City contractors may have to pay workers when they are sick

The Fight Will Continue for Paid Sick Days in Philadelphia

Today Philadelphia City Council decided not to hold a vote on whether to override Mayor Nutter's veto of the paid sick days bill because we simply did not have the necessary 12 votes. It was the last opportunity for a veto override.

Despite the decision not to hold a vote, Councilman Greenlee and Councilman Clarke both made remarks to Council Session and sent a letter to Council showing their support for paid sick days. Both members spoke of the importance of the bill for the health and well-being of Philadelphia's workers. Councilman Greenlee committed to reintroducing the bill next year.

We would like to thank all of you for supporting paid sick days and the Coalition. We look for to your continued support as we will not give up the fight for paid sick days in Philadelphia.

In the meantime, we will also be supporting Councilman Goode's Living Wage bill which will give those who work for and with the city the opportunity to earn paid sick days. Please stay tuned as we will be sharing information about this bill and of course asking for your help in supporting it. More information about supporting the full paid sick days bill will also be coming soon.

"‘Contagion: Not Just a Movie’ Begins New Front in Earned Sick Days Fight"

Please check out this article on Philadelphia Weekly's website about the "Contagion" webshort featuring a worker from Philadelphia. Then call City Council at 800-584-6813 and tell them about your support for paid sick days or email the video to Council.

Call 800-584-6813 to Support Paid Sick Days

While paid sick days passed in Philadelphia in June, the Mayor vetoed it soon after. Right now we have a small window of time to override his veto. City Council will once again have to vote on the bill by Thursday, September 15th.

In order for the override to be possible members of Council need to hear from supporters. The Coalition has created an 800 number that anyone can call to be connected with City Council. Before the call is put through there will be a short message you can listen to for information about what you can say and you will have the option to call one of five members. After you place that call you are welcome to call any of the other Council members as well.

The number is 800-584-6813.

Please make this call today and share the number with others. If you can send it out to your members please do so. City Council spoke for the people of Philadelphia when they passed the paid sick days bill. Don’t let the Mayor silence us with his veto – call City Council today and let them know that Philadelphians want and deserve paid sick days.

Also, we will be at City Council on Thursday, September 15th to show them in person that we want paid sick days. Please come out to City Hall at 9:30 and help us remind them of what the people want. For more information and to register to attend please visit: http://overridetheveto.eventbrite.com/.

Let’s Show City Council We Still Need Paid Sick Days!

It has been a long and somewhat crazy ride for the Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces but we have a great success – Philadelphia’s City Council passed the Earned Sick Days Bill! Our amazing and hard fought victory was unfortunately dashed by the Mayor’s veto of the bill- but that does not mean the fight is over.

Join us to welcome City Council back after their summer recess and show them that we are still fighting for paid sick days for Philadelphia’s workers.

WHAT: Welcome Back City Council

WHEN: September 8th at 9:00

WHERE: Philadelphia City Hall’s 4th Floor Hallway

Register to Attend

We will be welcoming City Council back by reminding them that Philadelphia is not only returning to work and school, but, without sick days, they are returning to environments where germs can spread quickly.

Please bring signs and write letters to your members of City Council urging them to remember that Philadelphians need and deserve paid sick days.

From Philadelphia Weekly: Think Nutter’s Veto Ended the Paid Sick Days Crusade? Think Again.

In June, after years of hard advocacy on behalf of working groups, City Council passed paid sick leave legislation, that’d give employees of companies with 11 or more up to seven days per year; those with ten or fewer employees, four days. That bill was passed by the slimmest of all margins (9-8) and had been modified a reported 19 times to meet the demands of business lobbyists and the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, both of whom would have preferred no bill at all.

Then, on June 29, Mayor Nutter took out his veto pen.

About a week later, a rally was held at Independence Mall by the Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces as a show of declaring independence from the mayor. Groups say this marked the beginning of a Council override strategy for the fall.

“Now that the veto has happened we will continue to take action throughout the summer to continue to work toward an override,” says Marianne Bellesorte of Pathways PA, a services and advocacy group for women, children and families who participated in the rally.

To read the full article, please visit The Philadelphia Weekly's Blog.

Sign the Declaration of Support for Paid Sick Days and Independence from the Mayor’s Veto

Photo Credit: Philadelphia Metro

While the Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces was thrilled with City Council's passage of the earned sick days bill we were disappointed with the Mayor's veto of our bill. On July 6th members of the Coalition came together to declare support for the earned sick days bill and independence from the Mayors veto. Members signed their own Declaration on Independence Mall and you can add your name to the growing list of supporters. We will be presenting the list of supports to the Mayor and City Council as we work to override the veto.

Sign the Declaration today!

Below is an excerpt from the Declaration - to read the entire document click here.

When in the Course of human events, 210,000 workers in the city of Philadelphia have no access to paid sick days, causing them to expose the city and its visitors to infections when employees work while ill, it is necessary to determine some means by which workers can care for themselves and their families in times of poor health without losing their jobs or their pay. 

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all of humankind faces germs, bacteria, and viruses in the course of their daily lives, and these substances can make people ill even when they take action to avoid becoming sick. As such, when a public policy exists that gives workers the ability to earn the time needed to recover from unavoidable illnesses, and when that time is not freely available from their places of work, it is up to the government to take action on behalf of its citizens.