DC Council Okays "Fatally Wounded" Sick Leave Bill

D.C. Council unanimously approved a "fatally wounded" Accrued Sick and Safe Leave legislation Tuesday. The historic law - which makes D.C. just the second city in the nation to provide all of its workers with a limited amount of paid sick time, and the first to protect workers who need time off to address a domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking situation - was "gutted by a last-minute amendment requiring that workers complete a full 12 months of employment before accessing paid sick and safe time," said Metro Washington Council President Jos Williams. "Sick workers shouldn't have to wait to take the time they need to get better," said Williams, "this onerous requirement is a fatal flaw in this landmark legislation." Other amendments approved by the DC Council Tuesday were exemptions for health care workers and for restaurant wait staff. The bill was "dramatically weaker than what (City Council) voted 11-2 in favor of just one month ago," noted Deputy Director of the DC Employment Justice Center Karen Minatelli. With an estimated 200,000 workers in DC who do not currently get paid sick time, with high concentrations in low-wage food service, retail, and construction  -- including part-time workers and workers in seasonal positions - sick leave advocates say many DC workers may now never meet the one-year full-time minimum to access paid sick and safe time. "It's completely unrealistic for workers and their family members to go a full year without anyone being sick or needing protection from domestic violence situations," added Minatelli. While Paid Sick Leave supporters - who turned out over 100-strong for the vote, with "Paid Sick and Safe Days Yes" stickers, signs and street theater - lauded Councilmembers Marion Barry, Muriel Bowser, Jim Graham, Phil Mendelson, Carol Schwartz (who moved and managed the stronger bill), and Tommy Wells for "standing up for workers and the heart of the bill" in voting against the one-year requirement - which narrowly passed on a 7-6 vote -- they criticized Councilmembers Harry Thomas Jr., Mary Cheh, Kwame Brown, Yvette Alexander, Vincent Gray, Jack Evans and David Catania for bowing to pressure from the business community to water down the bill and vowed to keep pushing for legislation that "will truly provide sick and safe leave for all D.C. workers." Said Mackenzie Baris of DC Jobs With Justice, "Our strong presence at the vote and our full court press leading up to the vote made a critical difference in overcoming the intense pressure the Council was getting from the business community. While we're disappointed with the compromises, we know the bill would not have come this far without the work our coalition has done." Supporters were able to successfully fight back several amendments that would have weakened the bill further, including one that would have exempted businesses with fewer than 15 employees and another to lessen the number of days even further.