Seattle poised to adopt mandatory sick leave law

[n2doc]

To all those workers who can't afford to be sick: Get ready for a pajama day. Seattle is poised to adopt what city officials say is a landmark ordinance requiring all but the smallest companies to offer paid leave when employees or their family members fall ill.

City Council members announced that a majority has lined up in support of the ordinance, scheduled for a vote Monday, which would mandate that companies with more than four -- but fewer than 49 -- employees provide at least five days of paid sick leave a year.

Companies with 50 to 249 employees would have to provide seven days, and those bigger than that, nine days. New start-ups would be exempt for the first two years, and employees wouldn't start earning sick leave until they'd worked at least six months.

Victims of domestic violence would also be entitled to paid time off.

San Francisco and Washington, D.C., are the only other cities to adopt mandatory sick leave requirements. (A similar provision in Milwaukee was put on hold.)

more

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/nationnow/2011/09/mandatory-sick-leave-seattle.html

[teddy51]

1. Wow, now thats a step in the right direction. This is something that would normally

be negotiated by a Union contract. Good on them.

[gateley]

2. K&R nt

[saras]

3. Awesome good news. And the data from SF indicates that it works.

And they can't really reserve it for the elite, because sickness among food service workers is one of the primary problems addressed by the law.

[TheMightyFavog]

4. Milwaukee sick leave is dead for now.

Walker and the state rethugs passed a law barring counties municipalities from having sick leave requirements.

[provis99]

5. Seattle, San Francisco, and Washington.

What do these cities have in common? Liberals, perhaps? People with brains and compassion who vote?

It will be a frosty day in hell before Indianapolis adopts something similar. Too many asshole conservatives here.