Support Earned Sick Leave in Plainfield!

For the life of me, I cannot understand why ANYONE would be against an earned sick leave ordinance that protects "the least of these" (as we are apt to describe the most vulnerable and lowest-paid workers in our city. The ordinance ensures that if a worker puts in 30 hours of work, he or she will earn 1 hour of paid sick leave--consider how long it will take for an average worker to accumulate even 1 day (8 hours) of sick leave, and you will see the weaknesses of the arguments against this extremely reasonable ordinance.

Labor leader Chris Estevez speaking for low-wage workers in Plainfield.

Monday night, April 13, the City of Plainfield has an historic opportunity. We can become MAGIC NUMBER 10--the 10th city in the state of New Jersey to pass an Earned Sick Leave ordinance to protect low wage workers. Earned Sick Leave has the support of the New Jersey NAACP, the League of Women Voters of New Jersey, the NJEA, SEIU, and many other labor organizations, and we saw last week that low-wage earners in Plainfield are support of this ordinance.

We have heard from the same voices of the SID on why they want to make changes (read: stall) passage of the Earned Sick Leave ordinance in Plainfield. The opponents of this ordinance have not submitted a single piece data to support their position.

Again, the ordinance calls for workers to receive a SINGLE HOUR of earned sick pay for every THIRTY HOURS of work. Really, that is a hardship? Show data on businesses that have shut down because of Earned Sick Leave being an onerous burden on them. I have seen none presented by these individuals who claim to speak for 800 business owners in Plainfield. 

Earned Sick Leave is necessary to protect workers as well as the public health. It's good for business and it's good for the workers. I hope my council colleagues will stand firm with the low-wage workers in our city, who need the same protections that the rest of us have. We must unite behind our most vulnerable workers!

Best,

Rebecca