Two pastors and the associate director of AARP NJ added their voices Monday to workers in favor of paid sick leave, while opponents repeated their concerns.
Rev, Tracy Sprowls of First Unitarian Society of Plainfield and Saafir Jenkins of Ruach Outreach Ministries read prepared statements during public comment at the City Council meeting. Sprowls spoke on behalf of the Unitarian Universalist Legislative Ministry of New Jersey. Evelyn Liebman of AARP-NJ commended the council for support of the ordinance, which will be up for a public hearing and final passage Monday.
Azim Gray, legislative campaigns coordinator for the Working Families Alliance, also urged support of the measure, which permits workers to earn one hour of sick leave for every 30 hours worked, among other provisions.
Local opponents include Nimrod Webb, president of the Special Improvement District and Jeffery Dunn, president of the Plainfield Chamber of Commerce.
"Nobody has ever bothered to ask businesses, do we pay sick leave," Webb said.
Dunn alleged that JFK Health might consider closing the Satellite Emergency Department if they have to pay for sick leave, which led activist Nancy Piwowar to comment that 16,000 people depend on the SED. Piwowar has challenged JFK Health for many reasons since the 2008 closing of Muhlenberg Regional Medical Center in Plainfield.
"I can't believe I'm defending JFK," she said, telling the council, "You need to get an answer from them."
JFK Health Chief Marketing Officer Steven Weiss said Friday, "While JFK remains concerned how the ordinance will affect per diem employees, at no time are we considering leaving Plainfield."
The legislation was first proposed a year and has had ups and downs since then. It was dropped after an outpouring of business owners. Certain portions, such as fines and penalties, were then revised to make the legislation less onerous. Still, opponents say it should be enacted at the state level. Advocates point to its adoption in several New Jersey cities, though attempts have been made to repeal the law in some cities.
Some business owners say the requirements will burden them to the point of shutting down, while others oppose the amount of record-keeping involved. In Plainfield, opponents say not all employers have been informed of the legislation and a majority of those who know about it oppose it.
Monday's regular City Council meeting is 8 p.m. in Municipal Court, 325 Watchung Ave.
--Bernice
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Anyone suggesting that JKF might close the emergency room is really reaching. I’m sure most employees of JFK have full benefits, including sick pay. If they do have part-time employees on that site (which I doubt) they most likely wouldn’t qualify under the provisions of this new sick leave ordinance. Although I’m not in favor of this particular ordinance on a local level, the notion of JFK closing Plainfield’s emergency room is pure nonsense.
ReplyDeleteIf a company whose headquarters is in a city/town that doesn’t recognize this sick leave ordinance but has a satellite operation in a city that does, would the sick leave ordinance still apply?
RB
Excactly! I'm also not in favor of this ordinance, however, Dunn is totally shooting from the hip with this statement in a cheap shot attempt to solicit support against this ordinance.
DeleteBehemoth operations like JFK don't shut down multi-million dollar facilities because it has to pay part-time staff the equivalent of an hour for every 30 worked.
This ordinance is more of a nuisance "law" for small mom and pop shops.
Mr. Dunn was correct in bringing this issue up. The State of NJ Department of Health and Senior Services in the July 29, 2008 Certificate of Need letter stated: “The SED shall remain in operation for a minimum of 5 years, and Solaris must provide 120 days notice and receive written approval from the Department prior to ceasing or reducing services or hours of operation.” There was talk last year of the reduction of hours of the SED, and Mayor Mapp said at his town hall meeting that he stepped in to keep the SED open for 24 hours a say after rumors were circulating about the reduction of hours. In Mr. Weiss' comments that were quoted there is no specific mention of the SED or the Nursing School. How will the sick leave ordinance impact the Nursing School and the leased second floor for the dialysis center?
DeleteThere are just too many unanswered questions, and consideration should be given to tabling this ordinance.
Is Dunn really serious with that demagogic nonsense? Does he actually expect people to believe that a company the size of JFK doesn't already have a paid sick leave policy for employees? The use of fear (false or otherwise) is an old trick in politics - this just happens to be a really bad attempt at it.
ReplyDeleteI would suggest that the city council table this bill until after the state votes on their bill next week. Better to have this mandated at the state level then on the municipal level and make Plainfield less competitive in attracting businesses to the area.
You are correct on the tabling of this ordinance. It is better to have it mandated at the state level because then everyone would be on the same playing field. I can see lawsuits in the future. EEO lawsuits because there are corporations in Plainfield that also operate outside the city limits, and how is this fair to the employees who work for those corporations outside of Plainfield? For example,
DeleteMc Donald's, Burger King, Wendy's, KFC, Dunkin Donuts, Walgreen's, Supremos, etc. A labor law as broad as this should be equal to all and not for some. This is a labor law disguised as a healthcare law.
I still want to know how positively or negatively this will effect businesses in Plainfield. We can't afford to lose business. I teach 35 hours a week, am considered part-time and don't get sick leave. I do get health insurance, but am sure I would not get that if I got sick leave. We should wait and see what the state does. I wish everyone could have sick leave and good health insurance, mine is terrible, but I have it.
ReplyDeleteAnother part of this ordinance is that disputes will be adjudicated in municipal court. If an employee has a complaint of non compliance eventually it is taken to municipal court then your personal "sick" business becomes a matter of public record. Even though the diagnosis is not suppose to be an issue, how would anyone feel waiting in an open court room and ultimately facing a judge with people in the court hearing your personal business. No comparison to a traffic ticket, code enforcement issue, etc. think about it the next time you are "sick" would you want to plead your case in municipal court?
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