A new proposal to the Madison City Council by Ald. Austin King, District 8, could guarantee full-time workers in the city of Madison paid sick leave. According to King, the initiative is part of a nationwide effort at the state and federal level to protect workers who are forced to miss work due to an illness.
The proposal outlines requirements for businesses that employ more than five workers to grant paid sick leave after two months of 12-hour weeks.
Non-profit community organizations working on behalf of the homeless, such as the Interfaith Coalition for Workers Justice and the Community Action Coalition, brought the problem to King's attention. King stated that a large portion of the homeless seeking assistance were rendered homeless in the first place after being fired from a job or suffering lost wages due to an illness.
Low-income workers and families are simply unable to recover from an illness that requires an absence from work, King said. \Paid sick leave is what keeps middle-class families from suffering a similar fate,"" he said.
The proposal currently boasts nine sponsors, including local representatives Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4 and Ald. Robbie Webber, District 5. Not everyone backs the new proposal though, and area business leaders are expected to resist the possible new measures in the coming months.
Defending business interests in Madison, the Chamber of Commerce, and representatives of Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce have already stated their opposition to the proposal, said King.
George Twigg, Communications Director for Mayor Dave Cieslewicz, stated that ""while the Mayor recognizes the significance of the issue, he does not feel that this it the right time to be taking it up.""
Twigg went on to say, ""The Mayor wants to focus on priorities like the city's upcoming budget.""
Sandra Hall, a UW-Madison Social Work lecturer, said that the city needs to invest in preventative measures, stating, ""People going to work sick in order to prevent financial loss are a health risk to themselves and other employees. People should be allowed a certain amount of sick leave,"" she said.
The proposal itself will not be considered by the City Council for the next few months because it requires review from four advising committees, King said. This timetable is not troublesome to King, who wants to ensure the quality and substance of the proposal.
""We're not trying to rush it through,"" he said. ""We want to come up with the best possible product.\
