St. Paul became the second city in Minnesota to mandate that most employers offer their workers paid sick leave with a vote by the city council Wednesday.
To heavy applause, the St. Paul City Council voted 7-0 on to approve an “earned sick and safe time” mandate that will extend to most workplaces in the city.
Estimates vary, but advocates believe some 64,000 to 72,000 workers could be affected by the new mandate.
The ordinance, which takes effect July 1, 2017, requires employers to allot their workers an hour of earned sick leave for every 30 hours worked, up to 80 hours in a two-year period.
That time can be used to care for a sick family member or in the case of domestic assault or stalking. State and federal employers are exempt. Unlike Minneapolis, which passed a similar ordinance in May, the St. Paul rules do not exempt “micro” businesses with fewer than six employees.
Advocates called the St. Paul ordinance the strongest in the country.
“It is a win for Minnesota that means the drumbeat for statewide and, ultimately, nationwide standards grows even stronger,” said the National Partnership for Women and Families, a national advocacy organization, in a written statement.
Organizations such as TakeAction Minnesota, the Main Street Alliance of Minnesota and Isaiah had pressed for citywide sick leave. But many business advocates — including the St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce — warned that it would open the door to frivolous lawsuits and create costly and time-consuming record-keeping demands for even the smallest of employers.
The ordinance came together with input from a 29-member city task force staffed by the city’s Human Rights and Equal Economic Opportunity Commission.
“I don’t remember a time when we’ve gotten more public involvement and staff time being used toward crafting something this extensive,” said Council Member Chris Tolbert.
Council Member Dai Thao, another early advocate for earned sick leave, said he was equally satisfied.
“The council, I think we heard both sides,” Thao said. “We heard from business … and we heard from community activists. I’ve come to the conclusion that this is right for us.”
Council Member Rebecca Noecker called the process “the best public conversation, the most transparent conversation, that we’ve had to date.”
Business advocates worry the new regulations will leave St. Paul employers at a competitive disadvantage with retailers outside the city who don’t have to offer the same costly benefits.
The result could mean less hiring, wage cuts for entry-level workers, or employers simply closing shop and relocating. A campaign for a $15 per hour minimum wage was recently dealt a legal setback in Minneapolis, but that discussion could reignite in both cities.
Council Member Jane Prince called earned sick and safe time “a human right” but said she wanted to “acknowledge that I know this ordinance creates challenges particularly for locally-owned and independent businesses. … My goal is to send a strong message to the state of Minnesota … (for) a statewide law.”
Council President Russ Stark said it was important to acknowledge that many businesses are still unhappy with the result.
“I think it’s important that we recognize that,” Stark said, while noting that opponents kept the overall discussion process civil. “It says a lot about our community that we can do that, even on an issue that has become contentious,” he said.
Following the council vote, St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman issued a written statement stating the sick leave vote “extends the benefit so many of us already enjoy to the most vulnerable among us” and called it “the right thing to do.”
“I also want to acknowledge that even with the robust conversations we have convened, there are business leaders in our city who still have concerns,” Coleman said. “I want to assure them that we will continue to listen to them as we go through the rule-making process while remaining steadfast in our commitment to ensuring the most vulnerable are protected.”
