New York City is set to pass legislation requiring thousands of companies to provide paid sick leave to their employees. City Council members struck a deal on March 28 to pass a measure that will kick in starting in April 2014, when businesses with 20 or more employees will be required to provide 5 paid sick days, while businesses under that size will be required to provide unpaid sick leave. By October 2015, the list of employers required to provide paid sick leave will include companies with 15 or more employees. Though mayor Michael Bloomberg is expected to veto the measure, reports say the city council will have the two-thirds majority support it needs to override the veto.
Some California cities have passed similar legislation, but many more initiatives here have failed. Why? After a long fight over this in NYC, how did stakeholders reach a deal?
Guests:
Ken Margolies, Senior Associate of the Worker Institute at Cornell University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations
John Kabateck, Executive Director, California Chapter of the National Federation of Independent Business
Sharon Terman, Senior Staff Attorney & Director of the Work and Family Project; Legal Aid Society-Employment Law Center based in San Francisco