Philly plan for paid sick leave gains support [photos]

Paid sick leave for nearly all Philadelphia workers is another step closer to reality following a hearing before City Council.

The time has come for mandatory sick days, said Councilman Bill Greenlee Tuesday.

“As you have seen around the country … paid sick leave has worked very well,” he said. “It’s not had the problems people predicted it would.”

As a restaurant worker, Jason McCarthy testified, he can’t afford to lose a day’s pay.

“You go to work sick,” he said. “You try to cover it up and mask it as best as you can. And try not to expose yourself to people, especially your co-workers, because they are going to get sick too.”

The Nutter administration is supporting the bill, which will apply to businesses with 10 or more employees. Three states and 16 localities already require private employers offer paid sick days to workers.