It was a slow day in City Council this morning, with every bill up for approval held back from votes.  City Councilmen Bill Greenlee and Darrell Clarke introduced legislation that would set rules to how employers provide for time away from the job for employees.

Greenlee's bill would mandate unpaid leave for employees who have been the victim of domestic violence or sexual assault.  Companies with more than 50 employees would have to provide up to eight weeks of unpaid leave. Companies with fewer than 50 employees would have to provide up to four weeks.  Employees seeking the leave would have to show proof that they sought assistance from police or a hospital to qualify, Greenlee said. "Sometimes they need time to heal physically or mentally," Greenlee said. "This gives them that time."

Clarke's bill, dubbed "Promoting healthy families and workplaces," would require employers in the city to provide one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours an employee works. Employees would not be able to accrue more than 72 hours of sick leave each year.  Employees at "small businesses," defined in the bill as having 10 or less employees, would only be able to accrue 40 hours of paid sick time.  The bill says that about 44 percent of Philadelphia workers do not now have paid sick time.