By Gary Emerling
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Published: March 5, 2008
The D.C. Council yesterday passed legislation requiring paid leave for employees, putting the District in line to become the second city in the country to adopt such a mandate.
"Let's be clear: This is a dramatic leap forward for working people in the District of Columbia," said council member Mary M. Cheh, Ward 3 Democrat.
Council members approved the legislation unanimously after hours of debate, multiple changes and concessions to the city's restaurant and business communities, whose opposition nearly tabled the bill last month.
The bill now goes to Mayor Adrian M. Fenty, who said he will sign the amended bill.
"While we did not support the bill as originally introduced, we are glad the council has made some important revisions to legislation," said Mr. Fenty, a Democrat. "There is still much work to be done, but I intend to sign the bill as amended and passed by the council."
The bill requires D.C. businesses with at least 100 full-time employees to provide up to seven annual paid sick days to workers. Businesses with 25 to 99 full-time employees must provide five days, while those with 24 or fewer employees must provide three days.
Part-time employees would receive half the leave of full-time workers, and victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse would be allowed to take sick leave.
San Francisco is the only other U.S. city to adopt similar legislation.
The measure was opposed by business organizations such as the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington. The D.C. Chamber of Commerce warned that the original legislation would force employers to impose layoffs and would discourage new business.
Barbara Lang, president of the Chamber of Commerce, said after the vote that several changes softened the impact of the bill on the business community, although it still will amount to a 3 percent employment tax.
"We got a good bit of the amendments that we wanted, so that's a good thing," said Mrs. Lang. "Unfortunately, the national economy went in our favor on this. This is just not the time to burden the business community and make us less competitive with Maryland and Virginia."
Labor unions cheered the bill's passage. Jaime Contreras, president of the Local 32BJ chapter of the Service Employees International Union, said the council took a "bold and important step" and that the measure will affect more than 200,000 D.C. workers.
"It's a great day for us, because otherwise [when] we take off, you get zero for that day," said John Parham, a 62-year-old private security guard for AlliedBarton.
Much of the debate yesterday centered on a series of proposed amendments, many of which mirrored requests by the D.C. Chamber of Commerce.
The council accepted amendments making employees eligible for paid leave only after a year of service, requiring the D.C. auditor to study and submit a report on the economic impact, and exempting businesses that can prove a hardship as a result of the legislation.
The council also exempted health care workers who participate in a premium-pay program and wait staff who work for a combination of minimum wage and tips, but opted not to exempt businesses with 15 or fewer employees.
Carol Schwartz, at-large Republican and the bill's main proponent, called the vote "an amazing victory for the workers, not for me."
"I've never worked harder on anything in my life because I felt passionate for it," she said.
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