Stephanie
Diamond Member
- Jul 11, 2004
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50 in community write to City Council :scratch:
By Lee Sensenbrenner
Dozens of members of the Latino community today joined the effort to pass the proposed paid sick leave ordinance in Madison, saying the law is especially valuable for "workers vulnerable to unscrupulous employers' threats."
In a letter sent this morning to Madison City Council members and Mayor Dave Cieslewicz, more than 50 people who identified themselves as part of the Latino community said that "there is no more important local issue than passing the proposed sick leave ordinance."
The proposal, which would require one hour of paid sick leave per 50 worked at most companies that employ more than five full-time workers, is up for a vote before the City Council next week. For it to pass, it appears that proponents of the measure will have to swing at least two council members.
Efforts to capture these two votes have focused on Ald. Santiago Rosas and Ald. Lauren Cnare, who represent east side districts. Advocates of the proposal have been canvassing the districts of Cnare and Rosas, encouraging past voters in a door-to-door sweep to pressure the two council members.
Cnare said that since this effort started, she has received five e-mails, all opposed to paid sick leave.
"The silence has been deafening," she said, adding that unless something "drastic" happens, she "will not be supporting this."
She said it is good policy "in concept," but that it is "not fair to take social policy and have it paid for by a select group of people" who have started businesses.
She said that she is opposed to adding another barrier to a working person whose dream it is to launch a business and that her constituents have expressed clear opposition to the proposed law.
Alfonso Zepeda-Capistran, a past president of Latinos United for Change and Action, said that the proposed law helps poor workers and "will keep everyone in our community healthy and more likely to be productive."
"It's just good policy - simple good policy," he said. Latinos United for Change and Action officially endorsed the proposal, which has been softened and rewritten over the last few months in response to public hearings and opposition from some in the business community.
Zepeda-Capistran called it "very unfortunate" that Rosas has so far not backed the proposal.
Rosas said today that he is "sitting right on the edge" but is representing a district that is one-third business and has concerns that the law could hurt overall employment.
"I have mixed feelings," he said. "We could be affecting the very people we are trying to help."
Cieslewicz has opposed the sick leave ordinance, saying that with other recent legislation passed to regulate business, it is not the right time to advance the proposal.
Its primary advocate on the City Council has been Council President Austin King.
The letter - signed by Leone Jose Bicchieri of Justice for Janitors, former School Board member Juan Jose Lopez and more than 50 others - said that "Latino workers are disproportionately represented among those workers who receive low wages and no benefits."
"Workers who lack paid sick leave fear for their jobs and their families' economic security when they fall ill," it continued. "These workers then go to work sick instead of staying home to recover.
"This is especially true for undocumented workers vulnerable to unscrupulous employers' threats and intimidation due to their immigration status."Very real fears about losing hard-to-find employment as well as concerns about immigration consequences, particularly in the current climate, mean that the undocumented workers of our community cannot easily make demands of their employers for better benefits.
"This situation makes it absolutely essential that government stand with and for these workers by requiring employers to provide a critical benefit like paid sick leave."
http://www.madison.com/tct/news/stories/index.php?ntid=83411&ntpid=2
By Lee Sensenbrenner
Dozens of members of the Latino community today joined the effort to pass the proposed paid sick leave ordinance in Madison, saying the law is especially valuable for "workers vulnerable to unscrupulous employers' threats."
In a letter sent this morning to Madison City Council members and Mayor Dave Cieslewicz, more than 50 people who identified themselves as part of the Latino community said that "there is no more important local issue than passing the proposed sick leave ordinance."
The proposal, which would require one hour of paid sick leave per 50 worked at most companies that employ more than five full-time workers, is up for a vote before the City Council next week. For it to pass, it appears that proponents of the measure will have to swing at least two council members.
Efforts to capture these two votes have focused on Ald. Santiago Rosas and Ald. Lauren Cnare, who represent east side districts. Advocates of the proposal have been canvassing the districts of Cnare and Rosas, encouraging past voters in a door-to-door sweep to pressure the two council members.
Cnare said that since this effort started, she has received five e-mails, all opposed to paid sick leave.
"The silence has been deafening," she said, adding that unless something "drastic" happens, she "will not be supporting this."
She said it is good policy "in concept," but that it is "not fair to take social policy and have it paid for by a select group of people" who have started businesses.
She said that she is opposed to adding another barrier to a working person whose dream it is to launch a business and that her constituents have expressed clear opposition to the proposed law.
Alfonso Zepeda-Capistran, a past president of Latinos United for Change and Action, said that the proposed law helps poor workers and "will keep everyone in our community healthy and more likely to be productive."
"It's just good policy - simple good policy," he said. Latinos United for Change and Action officially endorsed the proposal, which has been softened and rewritten over the last few months in response to public hearings and opposition from some in the business community.
Zepeda-Capistran called it "very unfortunate" that Rosas has so far not backed the proposal.
Rosas said today that he is "sitting right on the edge" but is representing a district that is one-third business and has concerns that the law could hurt overall employment.
"I have mixed feelings," he said. "We could be affecting the very people we are trying to help."
Cieslewicz has opposed the sick leave ordinance, saying that with other recent legislation passed to regulate business, it is not the right time to advance the proposal.
Its primary advocate on the City Council has been Council President Austin King.
The letter - signed by Leone Jose Bicchieri of Justice for Janitors, former School Board member Juan Jose Lopez and more than 50 others - said that "Latino workers are disproportionately represented among those workers who receive low wages and no benefits."
"Workers who lack paid sick leave fear for their jobs and their families' economic security when they fall ill," it continued. "These workers then go to work sick instead of staying home to recover.
"This is especially true for undocumented workers vulnerable to unscrupulous employers' threats and intimidation due to their immigration status."Very real fears about losing hard-to-find employment as well as concerns about immigration consequences, particularly in the current climate, mean that the undocumented workers of our community cannot easily make demands of their employers for better benefits.
"This situation makes it absolutely essential that government stand with and for these workers by requiring employers to provide a critical benefit like paid sick leave."
http://www.madison.com/tct/news/stories/index.php?ntid=83411&ntpid=2
