Amended Ordinance for Item 49

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Greg Casar
Posts: 189
Joined: Tue Jan 20, 2015 3:20 pm

Amended Ordinance for Item 49

Post by Greg Casar »

Colleagues:

My co-sponsors and I greatly appreciate the time you’ve dedicated to the three work sessions before today’s vote on the paid sick days ordinance (Item 49). After much consideration and conversation with community partners, my co-sponsors and I are putting forward the following amended ordinance (linked below) for your consideration. The amendments to the ordinance accomplish two things:

1) Adding additional clarifications so that community members can best understand the ordinance; and
2) Incorporating the spirit and substance of many of the amendments put forward by council members during the last three work sessions.

I fully support the ordinance as originally proposed, and I understand that both strengthening the ordinance and making compromises are necessary to gain support from as many of our colleagues as possible for a paid sick days policy for all workers in Austin. The ordinance as originally posted was composed through a democratic process, through many conversations with the community, the formal stakeholder process, and my co-sponsors. Today my co-sponsors and I continue that process as we put forward this amended ordinance in a good faith effort to earn your strong support.

I would like to thank Council Members for bringing your questions, concerns, and amendments to the table during the work sessions, which helped create this final draft. I would also like to offer a special thank you to Mayor Pro Tem Kathie Tovo, Council Member Delia Garza and Council Member Ann Kitchen for all of the work you’ve put in, alongside my office, over the last year. Alongside these co-sponsors, we have submitted an agenda item for a resolution that will have the City comply with the ordinance for all of our own employees as well. I look forward to having strong support on the dais for paid sick days in both the private sector and for all of our own staff.

I am so proud of the process that got us all to this point and very much look forward to this evening’s conversation.

Sincerely,
Greg

Amended ordinance for Item 49: http://assets.austintexas.gov/austincou ... 135505.pdf
Gregorio "Greg" Casar
Council Member District 4
Jimmy Flannigan
Posts: 85
Joined: Thu Jan 12, 2017 8:44 am

Re: Amended Ordinance for Item 49

Post by Jimmy Flannigan »

Thank you to the co-sponsors for considering and incorporating so many of the elements of my suggested alternative ordinance. I know your work over the past year was exhaustive. Your work, and the work my amazing staff accomplished through discussions with stakeholders since posting a few weeks ago, has been incredible. While I still have some reservations about the speed of implementation, some of the impacts to various complex business models, and some of the additional concerns of other Council Members, I am glad that collectively we were able to move the process forward together in a spirit of collaboration. For democratic process to work, compromise is an important tool in aligning and accomplishing goals and we've been able to exhibit that here. I am proud to have been part of the process that came together to make the Paid Sick Leave ordinance a reality. I intend to support this ordinance tonight.
Jimmy Flannigan
Council Member, District 6
Alison Alter
Posts: 211
Joined: Fri Jan 13, 2017 3:52 pm

Re: Amended Ordinance for Item 49

Post by Alison Alter »

Colleagues,

Thank you for the work that you’ve all put into creating a paid sick leave policy for Austin. Our nonprofits are dedicated to furthering social good and helping those in our communities that are the most in need. Many 501 (c)(3)s depend on fundraising to meet their financial needs and plan out their annual budgets far in advance. Some of these organizations have the capacity to immediately absorb the cost of implementing this new policy, but others may need extra time to accommodate the expenses related to providing employees with paid sick days. For example, we have received letters from several nonprofits, such as the YMCA of Austin and the Diocese of Austin, asking for more time before enforcing these changes. With this in mind, I am proposing an amendment that defines 501 (c)(3)s and adds them to the list of entities that will be granted an extended period time for preparation before the ordinance goes into effect.

Paid sick leave can provide our city with widespread benefits if we craft a policy that fits all of our employers, not just for-profit businesses. I look forward to discussing this on the dais and am hopeful that you will find this a reasonable change to the ordinance.

This amendment would create a new Part 6 and thereby change Part 6 to be Part 7.

PART 6. For an employer recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a tax-exempt 501 (c)(3) organization, this ordinance is not effective until October 1, 2020.
PART 7. Except as provided in Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, and Part 6 this ordinance takes effect on October 1, 2018.


Regards,
Alison Alter
Council Member, District 10
Alison Alter
Posts: 211
Joined: Fri Jan 13, 2017 3:52 pm

Re: Amended Ordinance for Item 49

Post by Alison Alter »

I also want to bring to your attention the recent letter from One Voice. I will be passing out the letter in its entirety when we return to the dais. Below, I've included the letter's closing, which further clarifies the purpose and intent of my proposed amendment.

"As we support the ordinance in principle, it could increase budget costs for non-profit organizations and may require additional funding for implementation. We would appreciate additional time to properly assess all of the implications and work with you to address the concerns.

Sincerely,
Jo Kathryn Quinn
2018 Chair, One Voice Central Texas
Executive Director, Caritas of Austin"
Council Member, District 10
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