For the second time, Mayor Michael Nutter vetoed a measure that would require Philadelphia companies to give paid sick leave to their employees, and Council could not overcome the veto. Nutter vetoed the measure, introduced by Councilman-at-Large Bill Greenlee in January, on April 4, the last day he had to take action on the bill. Council had until April 11 to override the veto but could not locate the final vote to do so. The legislative body passed the legislation in an 11-6 vote March 14. Council also approved the bill in a 9-8 vote last session, but Nutter vetoed. The bill would require companies with 12 or more employees to give one hour of paid sick leave for every 40 hours worked. Companies with five-11 employees could earn up to 32 hours of paid sick leave. Companies with five or fewer employees would be exempt. Similar measures were successfully passed in San Francisco and Portland, Ore., and New York City is gearing up to follow suit. The bill would have an impact on the LGBT community, as it would allow same-sex partners to take time off to care for each other, facilitate time off for transgender people who are recovering from surgeries and for those with HIV/AIDS. In a letter to Council, Nutter applauded Greenlee for his efforts to pass the bill, but said the legislation is not a feasible business move. “The impact of this bill would harm our ability to attract new businesses to the city when we — in partnership with City Council — are making efforts to make it easier to do business and create jobs in Philadelphia at a time of great economic uncertainty,” Nutter wrote, continuing, “At this time the most important goal of my administration is to promote an economic environment that fosters job-creation, allowing Philadelphians to sustain themselves and their families.” Greenleee said he is disappointed in Nutter’s veto. “I don’t think business is the only thing that should be considered,” Greenlee said. “This bill would positively impact the LGBT community and people who are disabled or have children with disabilities. The bill could help low-income people generally. This veto was disappointing on many levels.” The bill was backed by Councilmembers Greenlee, Darrell Clarke, Cindy Bass, Jannie Blackwell, W. Wilson Goode Jr., Bobby Henon, Kenyatta Johnson, Curtis Jones, Maria Quinones-Sanchez, Blondell Reynolds Brown and Marian Tasco. Councilmen Mark Squilla, who represents the Gayborhood; Brian O’Neill, Bill Green, Dennis O’Brien, James Kenney and David Oh were among the opponents. Greenlee said the Nutter administration did not consult him on the legislation before the veto. “His administration did not have conversations with me on this bill. When the mayor finally talked to me about this after the veto, I told him that the arguments for the sick-leave bill were the same as those on the smoking ban that he sponsored. He considered only one piece of the bill and not the whole picture.” Nutter cited that between 2000-2012, the city lost nearly 20,000 jobs, and its most recent unemployment rate was 10.6 percent. “While we work to reverse these trends, we must not create additional barriers to job creation in Philadelphia,” the mayor said.
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