January 28, 2010

Dear Mayor Fenty,

District workers are still being forced to choose between coming to work sick or lose their jobs because you have failed to adequately enforce the Accrued Sick and Safe Leave Act of 2008. Low-wage workers, just like other better paid workers, must be allowed to exercise their right to time off to care for themselves and their families when the need arises. The delay in implementation is creating hardship for working families who are already struggling to put food on the table and it does a real disservice to the City as a whole.

You need to direct the Department of Employment Services (DOES) to immediately finalize regulations to clarify the implementation of the law, to ensure businesses understand and take seriously their responsibilities and help workers understand their rights. The Chamber of Commerce already made several attempts to kill this landmark legislation, including slashing the number of workers it would help. Now they are skirting the law altogether by alleging confusion over various provisions and even claim they are under no obligation.

While the City should be praised for standing up for working families by enacting this legislation in the first place, you must issue clear and final regulations immediately to ensure that men and women can exercise their right to take time off when they or their family members are sick.

By providing much needed relief for working families in the District, we can set a standard for the rest of the nation to follow. It helps workers better focus on their job and the rest of the workforce can rest assured that people who are ill are not being forced to the job site. This is good for business and good for our community. We stand ready to work with you to assist in your efforts to inform workers about this law and their rights.

Valarie Long
Vice President
32BJ SEIU