A controversial City Council proposal that would require employers to provide Philadelphia workers with paid sick time passed its first hurdle yesterday, but still faces some opposition.
A Council committee approved the measure. If adopted, it would make Philadelphia the fourth city in the U.S. to have such a law.
Proponents of the bill say it would improve the quality-of-life for about 210,000 workers in the city, but the Nutter administration and business groups argue the requirement would create a harsher business climate.
“We do not believe that this is the right time to adopt a bill that places significant additional operating costs on our businesses,” Commerce Director Alan Greenberger testified.
Under the bill, employers with more than 10 employees would have to provide nine days while smaller employers would have to provide five. The amendments would require employees to work 90 days to utilize the sick time and would exclude seasonal or temp workers.
Nutter spokesman Mark McDonald said the administration would review the amended bill before commenting.
