Nutter appoints panel to look at paid sick leave
The mayor twice vetoed paid sick-leave bills, but could be open to a new version.
MAYOR NUTTER has twice vetoed legislation that would guarantee paid sick-leave benefits for many private-sector workers in Philadelphia, saying it would hurt the city's business environment.
But there's hope yet for proponents of the cause, as Nutter yesterday established the Mayor's Task Force on Paid Sick Leave to examine the issue and make policy recommendations.
The 15-person group will be co-chaired by Lisa Crutchfield, an executive at the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, and Natalie Levkovich, executive director of the Health Federation of Philadelphia.
City Councilman Bill Greenlee, who has championed the issue, fell one vote short of overriding Nutter's most recent veto in April 2013. He joined Nutter at the announcement yesterday.
The issue has spread across the country in recent years, with Democrat-led cities like New York, Seattle and San Francisco making paid sick leave benefits mandatory for many employers and some Republican-controlled states banning cities from requiring it.