A report from the Institute for Women's Policy Research says that some 116,000 workers in San Francisco are without paid sick leave and that the new measure is likely to cost employers $33.5 million per year. The same report also found that employers would receive $46 million in net benefits through reduced turnover and other costs incurred by hiring and training new employees.
Labor leaders and service and restaurant workers pushed the ballot measure, which passed at a time when employers said they were already hurting from mandated raises in the minimum wage and a requirement that they pay into universal health care for employees. "Opponents are saying that we snuck it onto the ballot" without enough business input, says Dante Grant, a member of Young Workers United, the group that helped get the measure onto the ballot. Employers also have raised questions about whether the measure would cost the city a lot of money, cause massive layoffs or destroy small businesses.
The city's Department of Labor Standards Enforcement will work with businesses on compliance. The stakes are high: Any employer found in violation can be charged with fines per person and per day.
