Paid Sick Bill Under Employer Attack

Legislation that would guarantee DC workers paid sick days is under attack by the business lobby, which is trying to scuttle or water down the bill, due to be voted on tomorrow. "Councilmembers are under pressure from business interests who want to weaken the bill with exemptions, and to slow the process down," says Karen Minatelli of the DC Employment Justice Center. The Accrued Sick and Safe Days Act - scheduled to go before the whole DC City Council tomorrow - received support of 11 Councilmembers last May and was officially moved out of Committee in December. Called "A compromise that would be good for workers, good for businesses, good for families and good for the city's economy," by National Partnership for Women and Families President Debra Ness in the Washington Post,  the act would enable workers at companies with over 50 employees to earn up to 7 days of paid time off and provide workers at smaller companies a lesser amount of paid sick days, depending on the company's size. The cutting-edge legislation would make DC the second city in the country to require a minimum number of paid sick days for all workers.