Nutter Optimistic About Reaching A Compromise With Council On Paid Sick Leave Bill
By Mike Dunn
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) --- Mayor Nutter says he's optimistic that a compromise can be reached with City Council over a bill that would require local businesses to offer earned paid sick leave.
A city council committee on January 27th will debate Councilman Bill Greenlee's proposal to make sick leave mandatory in Philadelphia.
Nutter has finally come around to the idea after vetoing two earlier attempts by Greenlee. But the councilman's proposal differs from the mayor's sick leave task force in one key respect: the task force recommended that mandatory sick leave be required for businesses with 15 or more workers, but Greenlee sets the threshold at ten workers.
Nutter predicts a compromise: "Not a huge difference there. Both of us have made the commitment that we'll continue to talk with each other about this and try -- before we get to the point of a hearing -- certainly our goal is to have some agreement in that regard."
Under Greenlee's plan, sick days would be earned at a rate of one hour for every 40 hours worked, up to five days per year.
The councilman's earlier proposals mandated at least seven earned sick days a year.