Council weighs interim step to improve sick leave law

Posted February 3, 2014 By Joanna Plucinska

Activists rallied at City Hall last year to promote passage of a law guaranteeing paid sick days for many workers in New York City. AP Photo/Mary Altaffer

When it comes to paid sick leave for New Yorkers, the new City Council’s motto could be “leave no worker behind.”

On Tuesday afternoon, the City Council is scheduled to vote on a proposed override of a Bloomberg administration veto of a tweak to the council’s paid sick leave law. An override requires support of two-thirds of the council’s 51 members.

Approved unanimously last week by the council’s Committee on Civil Service and Labor, the measure adds manufacturers to the employers covered by the paid-leave law, under which all New York City companies with 15 or more employees must provide at least five paid sick leave days to their workers.

The factory workers would retain one distinction: they would be entitled only to unpaid leave. Currently, manufacturing workers have no protections under the law, which is scheduled to go into effect April 1.

The bill also requires employers to notify current employees of the paid sick leave law when it goes into effect, and clarifies the number of unused sick days workers may roll over from year to year.

The measure being voted on this week is an interim step while the council weighs a promised expansion of paid sick leave to all city businesses — including manufacturers — with five or more workers. If passed, that measure would also take effect April 1.

That makes the council’s current actions on behalf of manufacturing workers something of a symbolic gesture — or a safety measure in case the new bill runs into trouble.

Newly seated Queens council member Daneek Miller, who was presiding over his first meeting as committee chair, said after the vote that the bill would help working people in the city.

“These are people working full-time jobs and making an impact on the companies they serve,” Miller said.

He appeared to appreciate the symbolic value of overriding a Bloomberg veto.

“We’re trying to correct some of the last administration’s work,” he said.

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<h1>Council weighs interim step to improve sick leave law</h1><div id="attachment_13410" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-13410" class="size-medium wp-image-13410" alt="Activists rallied at City Hall last year to promote passage of a law guaranteeing paid sick days for many workers in New York City. AP Photo/Mary Altaffer" src="http://www.thenewyorkworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/paidsick-300x169.jpg" width="300" height="169" srcset="thenewyorkworld.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/paidsick-300x169.jpg 300w, thenewyorkworld.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/paidsick-352x198.jpg 352w, thenewyorkworld.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/paidsick-500x281.jpg 500w, thenewyorkworld.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/paidsick.jpg 568w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Activists rallied at City Hall last year to promote passage of a law guaranteeing paid sick days for many workers in New York City. AP Photo/Mary Altaffer</div>
When it comes to paid sick leave for New Yorkers, the new City Council’s motto could be “leave no worker behind.”
On Tuesday afternoon, the City Council is scheduled to vote on a proposed override of a Bloomberg administration veto of a tweak to the council’s paid sick leave law. An override requires support of two-thirds of the council’s 51 members.
Approved <a onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/legistar.council.nyc.gov/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=655220&GUID=8FEF6526-0C00-45D5-BD0B-617353F90F06&Options=ID%7cText%7c&Search=%3Cfont+style%3d');" href="http://legistar.council.nyc.gov/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=655220&GUID=8FEF6526-0C00-45D5-BD0B-617353F90F06&Options=ID%7cText%7c&Search=%3Cfont+style%3d">unanimously </a>last week by the council’s Committee on Civil Service and Labor, the measure adds manufacturers to the employers covered by the paid-leave law, under which all New York City companies with 15 or more employees must provide at least five paid sick leave days to their workers.
The factory workers would retain one distinction: they would be entitled only to unpaid leave. Currently, manufacturing workers have no protections under the law, which is scheduled to go into effect April 1.
The bill also requires employers to notify current employees of the paid sick leave law when it goes into effect, and clarifies the number of unused sick days workers may roll over from year to year.
The measure being voted on this week is an interim step while the council weighs a promised <a onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/www1.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/025-14/mayor-de-blasio-major-expansion-paid-sick-leave-new-york-city#/0');" href="http://www1.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/025-14/mayor-de-blasio-major-expansion-paid-sick-leave-new-york-city#/0">expansion </a>of paid sick leave to all city businesses — including manufacturers — with five or more workers. If passed, that <a onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/legistar.council.nyc.gov/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=1636850&GUID=FD23CC16-F69E-4F06-B448-251F1CFC922D&FullText=1');" href="http://legistar.council.nyc.gov/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=1636850&GUID=FD23CC16-F69E-4F06-B448-251F1CFC922D&FullText=1">measure</a> would also take effect April 1. 
That makes the council’s current actions on behalf of manufacturing workers something of a symbolic gesture — or a safety measure in case the new bill runs into trouble.
Newly seated Queens council member Daneek Miller, who was presiding over his first meeting as committee chair, said after the vote that the bill would help working people in the city.
“These are people working full-time jobs and making an impact on the companies they serve,” Miller said.
He appeared to appreciate the symbolic value of overriding a Bloomberg veto.
“We’re trying to correct some of the last administration’s work,” he said.

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