Philadelphia Earned Sick Leave Legislation Awaits Mayor's Signature or Veto
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - City Council, the business community, and advocacy groups are all waiting to see what Philadelphia mayor Michael Nutter will do about the bill that was passed last week requiring most companies to offer employees earned sick leave.
The controversial measure was amended nearly 20 times before Council approved it by the narrowest of margins, 9-8 (see previous story).
Supporters say the bill would provide a safety net for the roughly 40 percent of all hourly wage workers in the city who currently have no paid sick leave.
But business groups are dead set against it. Janice Presser, CEO of Philadelphia management consulting firm The Gabriel Institute, believes it's a jobs killer that will hurt small businesses particularly hard.
"Think about somebody who's on the edge of saying 'Do I downsize for my small staff and try and make it work, or do I keep this extra person on and make it through?' Put one more burden on people that they view as intolerable and you'll flip the switch and we'll lose another job," she told KYW Newsradio today.
Mayor Nutter is on record as being against the bill. If he vetoes it, Council will need 12 votes to override.
Reported by Paul Kurtz, KYW Newsradio 1060
