San Francisco sick leave law & minimum wage

[peezey 0]

<excerpts below>

full story here

S.F. businesses scramble over sick leave law

- Ilana DeBare, Chronicle Staff Writer

Friday, January 12, 2007

On Feb. 5, San Francisco will become the first city in the country to require all businesses to provide paid sick leave to their employees -- full- and part-time employees, permanent workers and temps.

The sick leave requirement was passed by voters in November with little fanfare after being placed on the ballot by five members of the Board of Supervisors.

It will provide paid leave to an estimated 115,000 workers who don't currently receive it -- 23 percent of the city's private-sector workforce, according to the Institute for Women's Policy Research.

The law is being watched closely by labor activists around the country, who hope that other cities and states will follow San Francisco's lead.

Employees will accrue one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked. At businesses with fewer than 10 employees, accrual is capped at 40 hours per employee. Businesses with 10 or more employees have a cap of 72 hours per employee.

Workers can use the leave for their own illness or medical appointments, or to care for an ailing family member. In a novel twist to employment laws, workers who do not have a spouse or registered domestic partner are allowed to use their sick leave to care for a neighbor, friend or other person of their choice.

Supporters of the law say it will benefit not just individual workers, but the community as a whole. Employees will feel less financial pressure to come in sick to work, spreading germs to colleagues and customers. Working parents won't have to ship sick children off to school to infect classmates. Low-wage workers won't have to choose between paying the rent and caring for their health.

Although the new law affects all firms with employees in San Francisco, its impact is likely to be felt most strongly by small businesses, especially retailers and restaurants. Big corporations often provide some form of paid sick leave already, and they have large personnel and accounting departments that can figure out how to track employees' accrued sick leave.

Some small-business owners say that the sick leave law by itself isn't a problem: It's the combination of sick leave with other city mandates. San Francisco's minimum wage just rose to $9.14, which is higher than the statewide minimum of $7.50. The city levies a 1.5 percent tax on businesses with payrolls over $166,667. And in July, San Francisco will start phasing in a new requirement that companies with 20 or more workers spend at least $1.11 per hour per employee on health coverage.

What's in the law

-- All businesses must provide paid sick leave for their employees working in San Francisco. That includes full-time, part-time and temporary employees.

-- Paid sick leave begins to accrue on Feb. 5, 2007, or, for employees hired after that, 90 calendar days after their first day of work.

-- Employees accrue one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours they work.

-- At businesses with fewer than 10 employees, there is a cap of 40 hours of accrued paid sick leave per employee. At businesses with 10 or more employees, the cap is 72 hours.

-- Employers with a paid-time-off program can count that as their sick leave program if it can be used for the same purposes and meets the accrual requirements.

-- Employees may use their paid sick leave not only for their own illnesses but to care for family members, including registered domestic partners.

-- If employees have no spouse or registered domestic partner, they may use their sick leave to care for an unrelated "designated person" such as a roommate or neighbor. Employees must be given an opportunity to designate this person once every year.

-- Employers may require workers to give "reasonable notification" of absences for which paid sick leave will be used.

-- Employers may take "reasonable measures" to verify that employees are using their leave lawfully. It is not considered reasonable to require a doctor's note for all absences.

-- Employers must post a notice about the sick leave law at the job site. Copies of this notice are available at www.sfgov.org/site/uploadedfiles/olse/Paid_Sick_Leave_Poster.pdf.

-- Employers must keep records of hours worked and sick leave taken for four years.

-- For more information, contact the San Francisco Office of Labor Standards Enforcement at www.sfgov.org/site/olse_index.asp?id=49389 or (415) 554-6271.

E-mail Ilana DeBare at idebare@sfchronicle.com. Page A - 1

[bebop + rocksteady 0]

We're still chillin' at $5.15 here in Indiana.

But then again, the cost of living is considerably higher in San Francisco than in the cornfields of Indiana.

Cass (bebop the great)

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Way to go, San Fran! Makes perfect sense when real estate is outrageously expensive.

[almaty 19]

san fran is right thinking

[Ban Hammer 14,273]

san fran is right thinking

not really - if this gets adopted nationwide, i'll lose 8 hours of leave a year.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

san fran is right thinking

not really - if this gets adopted nationwide, i'll lose 8 hours of leave a year.

I'm more agreeing with Gupt's view that minimum wages should be regional since the cost of living varies widely from state to state - even from city to city.

[bebop + rocksteady 0]

For sure, $9 is a DARN good paying job even for upperclassmen college student in Indiana. I had a consulting job my Junior year for $10/hr and I thought i was so rich!

Cass (bebop the great)

I'm more agreeing with Gupt's view that minimum wages should be regional since the cost of living varies widely from state to state - even from city to city.

[peezey 0]

san fran is right thinking

not really - if this gets adopted nationwide, i'll lose 8 hours of leave a year.

I'm more agreeing with Gupt's view that minimum wages should be regional since the cost of living varies widely from state to state - even from city to city.

I agree, San Jose isn't much less than this, but hasn't broken the $9 mark yet. It's also irrelevant in many places when employers like Starbucks and Home Depot are starting at $8-9/hr.

And then there's the miracle employer In & Out Burger with high starting hourlies & great increases & incentives including a salary of $100k for store managers. They are a private company, and I hope they stay that way.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

san fran is right thinking

not really - if this gets adopted nationwide, i'll lose 8 hours of leave a year.

I'm more agreeing with Gupt's view that minimum wages should be regional since the cost of living varies widely from state to state - even from city to city.

I agree, San Jose isn't much less than this, but hasn't broken the $9 mark yet. It's also irrelevant in many places when employers like Starbucks and Home Depot are starting at $8-9/hr.

And then there's the miracle employer In & Out Burger with high starting hourlies & great increases & incentives including a salary of $100k for store managers. They are a private company, and I hope they stay that way.

Wow! I didn't know that about In & Out. Very impressive.

[Henia 11]

<excerpts below>

full story here

S.F. businesses scramble over sick leave law

- Ilana DeBare, Chronicle Staff Writer

Friday, January 12, 2007

On Feb. 5, San Francisco will become the first city in the country to require all businesses to provide paid sick leave to their employees -- full- and part-time employees, permanent workers and temps.

The sick leave requirement was passed by voters in November with little fanfare after being placed on the ballot by five members of the Board of Supervisors.

It will provide paid leave to an estimated 115,000 workers who don't currently receive it -- 23 percent of the city's private-sector workforce, according to the Institute for Women's Policy Research.

The law is being watched closely by labor activists around the country, who hope that other cities and states will follow San Francisco's lead.

Employees will accrue one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked. At businesses with fewer than 10 employees, accrual is capped at 40 hours per employee. Businesses with 10 or more employees have a cap of 72 hours per employee.

Workers can use the leave for their own illness or medical appointments, or to care for an ailing family member. In a novel twist to employment laws, workers who do not have a spouse or registered domestic partner are allowed to use their sick leave to care for a neighbor, friend or other person of their choice.

Supporters of the law say it will benefit not just individual workers, but the community as a whole. Employees will feel less financial pressure to come in sick to work, spreading germs to colleagues and customers. Working parents won't have to ship sick children off to school to infect classmates. Low-wage workers won't have to choose between paying the rent and caring for their health.

Although the new law affects all firms with employees in San Francisco, its impact is likely to be felt most strongly by small businesses, especially retailers and restaurants. Big corporations often provide some form of paid sick leave already, and they have large personnel and accounting departments that can figure out how to track employees' accrued sick leave.

Some small-business owners say that the sick leave law by itself isn't a problem: It's the combination of sick leave with other city mandates. San Francisco's minimum wage just rose to $9.14, which is higher than the statewide minimum of $7.50. The city levies a 1.5 percent tax on businesses with payrolls over $166,667. And in July, San Francisco will start phasing in a new requirement that companies with 20 or more workers spend at least $1.11 per hour per employee on health coverage.

What's in the law

-- All businesses must provide paid sick leave for their employees working in San Francisco. That includes full-time, part-time and temporary employees.

-- Paid sick leave begins to accrue on Feb. 5, 2007, or, for employees hired after that, 90 calendar days after their first day of work.

-- Employees accrue one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours they work.

-- At businesses with fewer than 10 employees, there is a cap of 40 hours of accrued paid sick leave per employee. At businesses with 10 or more employees, the cap is 72 hours.

-- Employers with a paid-time-off program can count that as their sick leave program if it can be used for the same purposes and meets the accrual requirements.

-- Employees may use their paid sick leave not only for their own illnesses but to care for family members, including registered domestic partners.

-- If employees have no spouse or registered domestic partner, they may use their sick leave to care for an unrelated "designated person" such as a roommate or neighbor. Employees must be given an opportunity to designate this person once every year.

-- Employers may require workers to give "reasonable notification" of absences for which paid sick leave will be used.

-- Employers may take "reasonable measures" to verify that employees are using their leave lawfully. It is not considered reasonable to require a doctor's note for all absences.

-- Employers must post a notice about the sick leave law at the job site. Copies of this notice are available at www.sfgov.org/site/uploadedfiles/olse/Paid_Sick_Leave_Poster.pdf.

-- Employers must keep records of hours worked and sick leave taken for four years.

-- For more information, contact the San Francisco Office of Labor Standards Enforcement at www.sfgov.org/site/olse_index.asp?id=49389 or (415) 554-6271.

E-mail Ilana DeBare at idebare@sfchronicle.com. Page A - 1

That would not even be half bad for min wage ... if Cali were so darn expensive... Funny when I lived in Cali I came across 2 types : wealthy and welfare.

But I guess in some areas in Cali one could make it... But in San Fran or LA LOL... I still remember paying 1200$ rent for a flat in NorCali (bay area)

[melly 0]

-- Employers with a paid-time-off program can count that as their sick leave program if it can be used for the same purposes and meets the accrual requirements.

This concerns me. I'm not working in SF itself but I'm thinking about those who are - if they are employed somewhere where they get, say, 2 weeks of paid vacation a year, does that count for this requirement, meaning they would get no extra time off for sick leave?

My employer is too cheap to offer sick leave and they cut back on the cap for vacation so now I can only get 2 weeks and if they hadn't cut back I'd be at 3 weeks this year.

And I hate having to use my vacation pay to care for my son when he's sick or myself when I'm sick.

All in all I'm happy about the changes they've made and I hope if the results are good that they'll spread to other areas of California, and other states as well.

[GaryC 7]

Why should someone that is only worth $6/hour flipping hamburgers get $9/hr? Thats insane! All it will do is increase unemployment and make things even more expensive in SF. This will hurt much more than it helps. But you can't get the social engineers to understand that. I am glad I don't live there.

[Henia 11]

Why should someone that is only worth $6/hour flipping hamburgers get $9/hr? Thats insane! All it will do is increase unemployment and make things even more expensive in SF. This will hurt much more than it helps. But you can't get the social engineers to understand that. I am glad I don't live there.

Well the ppl only worth flipping burgers are not thinking to flip burgers. They are Medical and welfare. Anyone (least when i lived there) anyone and everyone got welfare. I know in the enighbourhood I lived in... there were women having baby after baby just to collect more $. WHen I lived there, I sw only wealthy or welfare.

[thaibu 0]

More people will simply move to Oakland.

21st century Gentrification

[melly 0]

More people will simply move to Oakland.

21st century Gentrification

Somehow I doubt this would make people move to Oakland.

I wouldn't even consider it.