Pro-sick leave ad hits radio airwaves
Backers of the proposed sick leave ordinance that will appear on the Oct. 3 municipal election ballot have already taken to the radio airwaves to get their message out.
“When my employees are sick, they can make customers sick,” Nexus Brewery owner Ken Carson says in the 30-second spot, which is also available on the Healthy Workforce ABQ website. “I support the Healthy Workforce Act so hardworking people can earn sick days in Albuquerque like they do in Arizona. Don’t listen to the lies from the wellconnected business lobbyists that made outlandish claims about raising the minimum wage.”
The ad was paid for by Healthy Workforce ABQ and the OLÉ Education Fund.
Opponents of the measure appear to be gearing up for a counterattack.
The Albuquerque Coalition for a Healthy Economy filed with the Albuquerque City Clerk’s Office late last month to create a Measure Finance Committee to “educate public on paid sick leave ordinance.” The organization is building a website dubbed: trickleave.org
“The Albuquerque Sick Leave Ordinance is misleading and will do more harm
than good,” the website says. Much of the site is still under construction.
The Healthy Workforce Ordinance would require Albuquerque employers to provide paid sick time off to workers. If voters approve it, the ordinance will apply to fulltime, part-time and temporary workers at any business with a physical presence in Albuquerque.
Opponents of the ordinance argue that it would hurt businesses because of higher costs and onerous recordkeeping requirements. Supporters argue that the ordinance would ensure that workers don’t have to choose between their paychecks and caring for themselves or a loved one.
BALLOT: Speaking of the Healthy Workforce Ordinance, the City Council has scheduled a special meeting for Monday to once again take action on an election resolution.
The council adopted an election resolution in June, but Mayor Richard Berry vetoed it, taking issue with a mandate that the city clerk publish a summary of the initiative on the ballot in regular-size font, even if the full ordinance is printed in smaller type. The summary was prepared by proponents of the sick leave measure, and Berry argues that it doesn’t accurately reflect the ordinance. He wants the City Council to adopt an election resolution that leaves out the sick leave summary, which he calls misleading.
We’ll know soon enough whether councilors accommodate the mayor’s request or dig in their heels and send the mayor a resolution that’s substantially similar to the one he vetoed.