Paid sick leave not just a matter of luck

I WAS fortunate during my career to have paid sick leave. It made a difference to me, and I could see through the years that it made a difference to my co-workers as they raised children or faced their own illnesses. Yes, through the years, in part because (of) having access to paid sick leave, ... people (stayed) faithful to the job and the employer.

It should not be a matter of luck that someone has earned paid sick leave. It should be something we consider essential to our well-being as a community and should be available to all of Albuquerque’s working people. It is not a hand-out. Working people in Albuquerque make it possible for businesses here to thrive. These are people whose honest, hard work earns them a living, and whose compensation should include assurance that they do not lose their job or income should they or a family member fall ill.

Our City Council soon will decide whether Albuquerque’s working people will have earned paid sick leave and who will be eligible. I urge the Council to extend paid sick leave to all of Albuquerque’s workers, not just those working for businesses with over 50 employees. Proposed amendments to make ours a more inclusive sick leave ordinance are by no means outside of the norm of paid sick leave ordinances across the nation; rather, the current proposal being considered is an outlier in terms of its extremely narrow coverage, as shown by the National Partnership’s up-todate comparisons of features of all state and local paid sick leave ordinances. Studies of ordinances in other cities also show that working people use very little of their sick leave. To make this a workable ordinance, the Council can include incentives and provisions to assist and ease small and new businesses into the system.

It is time to bring Albuquerque, its businesses and its working people, into the 21st Century by extending a fair and inclusive earned paid sick leave ordinance to all..