The D.C. Council unanimously passed legislation March 4 requiring employers to give workers paid sick leave, a move that gave supporters mixed feelings about the bill's outcome due to its exemption of certain workers - including students.
The "Accrued Sick and Safe Leave Act of 2008" provides paid leave to employees who are ill or who have family members that are ill. The legislation also allows time off for victims of domestic or sexual violence, according to a copy of the bill obtained by The Eagle.
The passage of the bill makes D.C. the second city in the country to implement such a law. San Francisco implemented a measure requiring paid sick leave after voters approved of it in a 2006 ballot measure, according to The Washington Post.
Businesses with 100 or more workers will need to give each employee at least one hour of paid leave for every 37 hours worked, for a maximum of seven days of paid leave. Employers at businesses with 25 to 99 employees will receive at least one hour of paid leave for every 43 hours worked, with a maximum of five days paid leave. Employees working at businesses with 24 or fewer workers will receive at least one hour of paid leave for every 87 hours worked, with a maximum of three days paid leave, according to the bill.
To be eligible, employees must work for the same employer for at least 90 days and must spend 50 percent of their working time in D.C.
However, the legislation does not apply to independent contractors, health care workers who receive additional salary in lieu of benefits, or to students under 22 years of age who work less than 25 hours per week.
Despite these shortcomings, Karen Minatelli, deputy director of the D.C. Employment Justice Center, one of the groups lobbying the bill, said the Justice Center was hopeful the provisions of the bill would strengthen eventually to include those currently exempt.
"We never give up," she said. "We hope that the provisions of the bill broaden."
Groups advocating for the rights of business owners had argued the bill was too strict for most businesses and would result in downsizing, The Post reported.
The bill will affect colleges, however. AU's Human Resources office, for example, has to revise its payroll system in anticipation of the deadline six months from now, at which point all businesses will need to implement the provisions of the bill. The department has not considered a specific plan for these revisions yet, according to Beth Muha, the department's executive director.
Mayor Adrian M. Fenty is expected to sign the bill later this month. Congress has 90 days to review it, according to The Post.
