Activists Want City Council To Mandate Paid Sick Leave In Chicago
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Advocates have asked the Chicago City Council to require local businesses to provide paid sick time for most workers.
A coalition of working families, labor unions, and others gathered at City Hall on Tuesday to call on aldermen to approve a measure that would ensure workers get paid time off when they or a family member are sick.
Many workers get no paid sick leave, and many businesses have said providing it would be prohibitively expensive, but Christine Cikowski – chef and owner of Honey Butter Fried Chicken in Avondale – disagreed.
"If someone is sick, we believe that they should take a day off, and not work. It improves working conditions, and morale, and allows our employees the time they need to recuperate without loss of income or job," she said.
Ald. Proco Joe Moreno (1st), lead sponsor of the proposed ordinance, said backers are willing to listen to businesses' concerns.
"We're not talking about a completely watered-down ordinance. If they have ideas about implementation, I think most people are open to it up here," he said.
Abraham Cabrera has mostly worked as a restaurant delivery driver, and he said he's never had a paid sick day when he or his children have been ill.
"When I take a sick day, it means I don't get paid. It means I must choose between supporting my children's physical health, and their financial health," he said.
A previous sick leave ordinance didn't go anywhere, so Moreno was introducing the measure to the new City Council. He said a coalition of unions and working family groups has been working with a mayoral task force to forge a compromise.
"If we get to a point where we're not seeing true progress, I think you'll see a different kind of press conference, but right now we are pretty much on the same page, and moving forward, and thinking it's pragmatic to have this working group, and we want to hear from those in Chicago, but we don't want this as a delay," he said.
Moreno said the mayor has been supportive.