January 2007

San Francisco to provide paid sick leave

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.

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.

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.

Source: San Francisco Chronicle, www.sfgate.com

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