WE DID IT: Earned Sick Time initiative gets certified for Nov ballot (Orlando-Orange Co, FL)

[nashville_brook]

This is really BIG, folks.

After threats of lawsuits, foot-dragging by the Election Supervisor, and a massive lobbying campaign against us by local giants such as Disney, Orlando and Orange County voters will get to decide in November if they care enough about public and economic health to offer Earned Sick Time to workers.

The measure allows (for businesses over 15 employees) for every 37 hours worked, an employee earns 1 hour of sick time for a maximum of 56 hours a year.

We knew we had the required signatures last weekend. We needed 43,605 verified petitions. We turned in 73,841, of which 50,364 were certified. Doing the math, that means that 23,477 people who THOUGHT they were registered to vote aren't.

This was a huge undertaking, and people worked around the clock to get it done. Today we're celebrating being certified -- but beginning next week the Orange County Chamber of Commerce plans to begin their $2.2 MILLION dollar campaign against us.
http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2012-08-01/news/os-paid-sick-time-chamber-fight-20120801_1_ballot-language-sick-time-initiative

If you want to help our campaign you can donate here:
https://secure.piryx.com/donate/8E94eJis/Citizens-for-a-Greater-Orange-County/

Here's the Orlando Sentinel article announcing the certification and describing some of the behind-the-scenes lobbying by big business:
http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2012-08-17/news/os-sick-leave-petition-lobbying-20120817_1_hour-of-sick-time-sick-leave-sick-time

Here's the Orlando Weekly article announcing the same:
http://blogs.orlandoweekly.com/index.php/2012/08/stop-sneezing-earned-sick-time-to-make-november-6-ballot-after-clearing-petition-hurdles-and-standard-county-obstructionism/










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[Sekhmets Daughter]

1. Congratulations!

Looking at the map you posted I must say it is becoming ever more embarrassing to be an American.

[nashville_brook]

3. one of the reasons i wanted to be part of this is that it's *real* immediate change

that will make a difference in people's lives.

[DirkGently]

2. Wow. Another area where US policy models...Sierra Leon.

This is a great example of real grass-roots democratic action in a narrow area where it can really make an impact. Congrats to the entire team that pulled this off.

[nashville_brook]

6. as this catches on at the local/state level, it will make it easier to get it nationwide

then we won't be the only "first world" country without.

[DirkGently]

20. Much harder to take away benefits than to win them in the 1st place.

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. My that map...damn, USA, USA, USA!

Good for you.

[nashville_brook]

5. astonishing, isn't it -- but remember...

"You're lucky to even HAVE a job," says the Chamber.

[Downwinder]

7. And you shook 2 mil.

out of the Chamber to boost the economy.

[nashville_brook]

17. what's weird, is Disney gave our Elections Supervisor $1500 yesterday BEFORE

we filed an open records request to get the certification made public.

They were trying to keep it secret. Then they said they were going to mail it us next week. Then we filed the records request and all of a sudden (after collecting checks) the Election Supervisor coughed it up.

Forgot to mention that in the OP.

[Starry Messenger]

8. k&r!!

[Wounded Bear]

9. In the past, it wasn't an issue....

because most companies gave paid sick time to employees. Of course, small businesses didn't offer paid sick leave much of the time, but most employees got at least 1 week per year of sick time.

But as companies increasingly use contract labor, more and more workers (like me) don't get paid if they don't work, reason be damned. Many companies are adjusting work hours so that more and more employees are part time and don't work enough hours to earn the benefits they otherwise might get.

This is a welcome push back against the corporate attack on workers' rights.

[nashville_brook]

10. i've done a lot of service industry work, and calling in sick was often like

putting in your resignation. which creates a feedback loop where you develop a network of service industry friends and always have the next job lined up. it's a stupid system that promises customers will often be served food by contagious employees, and/or new/untrained staff.

there's been a lot of research on existing Earned Sick Time programs, and based on that we found that Orlando/Orange County businesses would see a $.03 per hour BENEFIT from the measure. It will initially "cost" $.17 per hour but return $.20 per hour in higher productivity and lower turnover. Also the "cost" isn't measured in actual money laid out -- no one loses any out-of-pocket monies. Rather, it's the estimated wage cost if ALL days are used.

So, we also researched how many days workers take per year, and found that most only take half the days allotted. One half those days -- and average of 2 days -- are for personal illness, and one half are for the illness of a child (2 days, again).

The biggest bonus all is that people stay secure in their jobs, which means our community retains a base of securely employed people who can participate in our economy without interruption.

[Wounded Bear]

12. Job security is something that RWers generally hate.....

They like people desperate and making choices based on stress levels, not rational thinking.

[nashville_brook]

18. i've had to talk to some RW electeds on this, and

that's exactly what i get from them. direct quote: "nothing should come between the employer/employee relationship."

they want employers to OWN us 100%. if they could, they'd bring back slavery, but find a great double-speak term for it: "secured employment," or some such.

[Posteritatis]

14. I just finished a few years in the residential restoration industry...

I was in the office side of things, which was sorta okay (well, until the organizational clusterfuckery that got me to depart), but I was kind of stunned at how crappy things were on the labourers' side. Someone would call in sick or injured, and with good reason, and the reaction on the project management side of things was more often anger than anything else. One of the PMs, in more or less complete defiance of the laws in my neck of the woods, would regularly tell employees that unless they were actually unable to stand they weren't sick enough to stay home. Note that this is a field where the main job description for a lot of the labourers was repairing damage, and often fairly toxic damage, to peoples' homes and possessions.

The turnover among the labourers was kind of incredible, and it drove a lot of people out who really should have had some stable, well-paying careers with their skills. I don't miss the place but always wish I could've done a little better at trying to improve things for those guys.

[nashville_brook]

15. your story hits on two key issues: injury rates and economic security

Research shows that workers in dangerous fields of work like construction are 28% less likely to suffer an on-the-job injury IF they benefit from earned sick leave. This benefits the company b/c these workers aren't hitting their workman's comp, AND they're more productive, and there's less turnover, etc.

Also...and this is what really burns me up...people forget that WE are the economic engine of society. In the last couple of decades it's become assumed that only SOME people get economic security in our society: management, professionals, doctors. It used to be that blue collar workers made enough money for a decent home, retirement AND sending their kids to college. We're the kids they sent to college, btw...and we're the ones who've learned you don't go cradle to grave with a company, b/c there's no loyalty from them. They're not going to even let you work for them if you need to take one stinking day off to care for a sick child.

/endrant. Told you this burns me bottom line is that we're never going to have economic security without economic justice.

[nashville_brook]

11. whoops -- meant to say also, this covers part-timers too :)

the only exceptions are for businesses under 15 employees...and all workers earn the sick time. It's not a benefit that is bestowed up front.

[Wounded Bear]

13. That's even better....

[WillyT]

16. WooHoo !!! - K & R !!!

Way ta go !!! And good luck in November !!!

[nashville_brook]

19. thanks WillyT!

We'll see how it goes. I have a hard time imagining how your average person couldn't say "hell yeah" to this on the ballot...BUT, this is Florida, and we haven't yet seen how the Chamber will spend that $2.2 million.

[WillyT]

21. :grouphug: