Thank you awards: These people made paid sick days possible!

Posted on October 3, 2011 by

Thousands of people contributed to the passage of the Seattle Paid Sick and Safe Leave Ordinance: small business owners, labor unions, community organizations, public health experts, and elected leaders – as well as 100s of workers, students, parents, and retirees who usually don’t have much say in policymaking.

The Paid Sick and Safe Days ordinance demonstrates democracy at its best. By working together, we passed a policy that will improve public health, family economic security, children’s well-being, and that will keep Seattle a world class city in which to live, work, and enjoy a vibrant urban culture.

In a ceremony at Plum Bistro immediately after Mayor Mike McGinn signed the ordinance into law on September 23, 2011, the Seattle Coalition for a Health Workforce recognized a few of the people and organizations whose contributions were key to success.

Award winners included:

Seattle City Council members:
Nick Licata – Paid Sick Days Champion award
Jean Godden – Never Flinched award
Tim Burgess – Seal the Deal award
Sally Clark and Mike O’Brien – There When It Counted Most awards

Healthy Business awards:
Makini Howell, Plum Bistro
Jodi Hall, Cupcake Royale

Honorable mention:
Joe Fugere – Tutta Bella
Molly Neitzel – Molly Moon Ice Cream
David Meinert – 5 Point Café and Big Mario’s Pizza

Keeping It Real awards:
Working mothers Tasha West Baker and Tracy Chapman

Coalition Awards to those organizations that devoted substantial staffing and resources and gave strategic guidance to the campaign:

Economic Opportunity Institute
UFCW Local 21
Puget Sound Sage
Washington CAN
Main Street Alliance
Legal Voice
M.L. King County Labor Council
Washington State Labor Council
Mom’s Rising
Puget Sound Alliance for Retired Americans
Teamsters Local 117
Unite Here Local 8

Honorable mentions:

Allyship
Seattle Women’s Commission
Lutheran Public Policy Office
Church Council of Greater Seattle
Minority Executive Director’s Coalition
Seattle Human Services Coalition
OneAmerica

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Exclusive: Seattle Law Advances Paid Sick Leave Campaign

Posted on September 29, 2011 by

From the Women’s Media Center:

Seattle Councilmember Nick Licata (L) and Marilyn Watkins, Policy Director of the Economic Opportunity Institute

Seattle recently became the third U.S. city to adopt paid sick days standards. With an 8 to 1 council vote on September 12, Seattle joins San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and the state of Connecticut in establishing this common-sense public health protection.

As the lead sponsor of Seattle’s sick leave ordinance, and chair of the coalition that rallied public support, we are proud of making Seattle a better city to live, work, shop, and run a business. We hope our success will encourage others.

In Seattle, about 40 percent of the workforce—190,000 workers—lack paid sick leave. Nationally, the figure is 44 million. Many of these people work directly with the public, in restaurants, retail, and health care. They face a hard choice when sick: either go to work and risk infecting coworkers and customers, while recovering more slowly, or stay home and come up short paying the bills. It’s no wonder that 20 percent of food service employees reported working with vomiting or diarrhea. Continue reading →

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Seattle mayor: Paid sick days “will level the playing field”

Posted on September 23, 2011 by

From Seattle.gov:

Today Mayor McGinn signed Seattle’s new paid sick leave ordinance into law at Capitol Hill’s Plum Bistro. Plum Bistro’s owner Makini Howell [pictured below] was one of the first Seattle business owners to get involved in advocating for this legislation.

This law will level the playing field in Seattle by supporting public health and economic justice.

84% of the highest paid workers nationally have access to paid sick leave. But only 32% of the lowest-paid workers have this benefit. They are denied the opportunity to care for their families and care for themselves.

More »

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Seattle Mayor Signs Landmark Paid Sick Days Legislation

Posted on September 23, 2011 by

Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn signed landmark city legislation into law today, ensuring that hundreds of thousands of people working in Seattle will be able to earn paid sick days on the job. When the new law takes effect next September, an estimated 150,000 workers who previously did not earn paid sick days will start to accrue them; thousands more workers will be able earn additional paid sick days and have additional flexibility for using them.

20110923-025828.jpgOver 100 local organizations and small businesses endorsed the paid sick days proposal, and thousands of Seattle workers called, emailed and turned out in support – a groundswell of support that eventually led to passage by the City Council on September 12th by an 8-1 vote.

“This is a major victory for everyone who works, shops and eats in the City of Seattle,” said Marilyn Watkins, spokesperson for the Seattle Coalition for a Healthy Workforce. “By allowing people to stay at home to care for themselves or a sick family member we help prevent the spread of disease and begin rebuilding family economic security and a healthy economy. Seattle’s leadership will fuel momentum for enacting paid sick days throughout the nation.”

The coalition applauded Council members Nick Licata and Tim Burgess in particular for their leadership in forging consensus among their colleagues for a strong ordinance that will protect workers, safeguard public health and support healthy businesses.

For his part, Licata credited the Seattle Coalition for a Healthy Workforce for moving the issue forward: “I chose to sponsor this bill, not only because it was the right thing to do, but because I believed that this was a coalition that would get the job done. A robust coalition of workers, employers, health care professionals, moms, and social justice activists is a coalition that just can’t be beat!”

The bill signing took place at Plum Bistro Restaurant, owned by Makini Howell, one of the first small business owners to support the proposed ordinance. “Over the last year, I joined with a group of small business owners to work alongside with public health professionals, labor unions, community groups, and elected leaders to craft this law. By collaborating and working together, we produced a law that protects the health of our customers, increases the economic security of employees, provides flexibility for small businesses, and strengthens the economy,” said Howell.

Seattle joins San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and the state of Connecticut in establishing a minimum paid sick days standard. Voters in Denver will consider a paid sick days ballot measure this November, and active campaigns are underway in other cities and states.

More than 75 organizations comprise the Seattle Coalition for a Healthy Workforce, whose leadership includes Economic Opportunity Institute, MomsRising, Puget Sound Sage, UFCW 21, Legal Voice, Washington CAN, Puget Sound Association for Retired Americans, M.L. King County Labor Council, and the Washington State Labor Council.

 

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Join us to watch – and celebrate – as paid sick days become law in Seattle!

Posted on September 22, 2011 by

Tomorrow, Mayor Mike McGinn will sign Seattle’s landmark paid sick days ordinance into law. Your support helped make this moment possible – please join us for the bill signing ceremony and celebration!

Plum Bistro, 1429 12th Avenue (between Union and Pike)
2:30 p.m. Ordinance signing ceremony
3:00 p.m. Awards and Celebration

When Seattle’s paid sick days ordinance takes effect next year, tens of thousands of people working in Seattle will start earning paid sick time on the job. They won’t face the choice between losing part of their paycheck, and caring for themselves or a family member when they are sick. They’ll also have paid leave available to stay safe when dealing with domestic violence or stalking.

It’s all because of your efforts. Without your overwhelming support – from phone calls, to emails, to personal testimony – we wouldn’t be where we are today.

So please join us at Plum Bistro tomorrow to see Seattle’s paid sick days ordinance become law. Hope to see you then, and thanks for all of your hard work!

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Seattle City Council passes landmark paid sick days ordinance

Posted on September 12, 2011 by

A standing ovation in the Seattle City Council Chambers upon passage of the city's landmark paid sick days ordinance

With an 8-1 vote, the Seattle City Council passed a landmark ordinance to ensure workers in all but the city’s smallest businesses can earn paid sick days on the job – one of the strongest such policies in the nation. The Seattle Coalition for a Healthy Workforce, comprised of over 100 local organizations and small businesses that pushed for the measure, lauded the vote.

“We’re proud of the City Council’s vote, and we applaud Council members Nick Licata and Tim Burgess in particular for their leadership in helping pass a strong ordinance that will protect workers, safeguard public health, and support healthy businesses.”

Many local small business leaders helped craft provisions of the final ordinance, including: Makini Howell (Plum Bistro), Jody Hall (Cupcake Royale), Joe Fugere (Tutta Bella), and Dave Meinert (5 Point Cafe), Tim Baker (Linda’s, Oddfellows, King’s Hardware), and Molly Moon Neitzel (Molly Moon’s).

Reflecting broad public support for the measure, Councilmembers received thousands of emails, postcards and phone calls in favor; a recent poll of Seattle voters found 69% supported the legislation passed today.

Councilmembers Nick Licata (sponsor) Jean Godden (cosponsor), Sally Bagshaw, Tim Burgess, Sally Clark, Bruce Harrel, Mike O’Brien and Tom Rasmussen voted in favor of the ordinance; Council President Richard Conlin voted against.

Following Mayor McGinn’s expected signature in the coming weeks, Seattle will be the 3rd city in the nation with a minimum paid sick days standard, after Washington DC and San Francisco. The state of Connecticut passed a paid sick days bill in June, and voters in Denver will consider a paid sick days ballot measure this fall.

A recent report by the Economic Opportunity Institute estimated that nearly 190,000 people working in Seattle do not earn paid sick days – negatively impacting business productivity, children’s academic performance, and public health.

Marilyn Watkins, author of the report and spokesperson for the Coalition, testified at today’s Council meeting before the vote: “This ordinance will make Seattle a national leader in setting standards to help change our culture to respect and enable each one of us to take responsibility for our own health, our family’s health, and public health.”

More than 75 organizations comprise the Seattle Coalition for a Healthy Workforce, whose leadership includes Economic Opportunity Institute, MomsRising, Puget Sound Sage, UFCW 21, Legal Voice, Washington CAN, Puget Sound Association for Retired Americans, MLK Labor Council, and the Washington State Labor Council.

More: Seattle City Council Paid Sick Leave webpage

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Contagion may be catching – but so are paid sick days

Posted on September 12, 2011 by

Matt Damon and Gwyneth Paltrow star in the movie Contagion, which opened #1 this weekend, but did you catch your own (vicarious) appearance?

The first 10 minutes of the move is a montage showing how one person’s cough (Paltrow) spreads germs far and wide via door handles, faucets, and other surfaces. In other words, it’s an ad for staying home when you’re sick.

But for 44 million U.S. workers, that’s not a real option – because they don’t have paid sick days. Here are 5 of their stories:

Contagion is a movie, but epidemics are real, and many employers are using weak leave policies that leave their workers – and the public – unnecessarily exposed to disease and illness:

According to Gary Laugharn, principal at human resources consulting firm Hewitt Associates, about 20 percent of national retailers require employees to have been sick for up to a week before leave benefits kick in. He said many of the companies he works with have tried to combat the H1N1 virus by providing plenty of hand sanitizer in the stores and encouraging sick workers not to come in.

But for the roughly 50 million workers who do not receive sick time, the options are more stark: work or don’t get paid.

Fortunately, Seattle is poised to become the 3rd U.S. city with a paid sick days standard on the books – part of a growing trend in cities and states across the country.

Join us today to rally for paid sick days and watch the final Seattle City Council vote!

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