Our top story on midday edition of a lot that may become a model for the rest of the country goes into effect in California next week. Almost all employers in the state will be required to offer both full-time and part-time employees at least three paid sick days a year. It's estimated more than 6.5 million California workers who do not get sick leave will benefit from the law. Many business group as extra costs and paperwork to their operations. Joining me is the author of the law the Renna Gonzales of San Diego. Lori Edwards is here president and CEO of at your home family care. Private in-home care organization in San Diego. Welcome to the The Renna, this law goes into effect as I said next week on July 1, what profit you to introduce the paid sick leave education? In all honesty it's the reason I ran for office. What have you see worked with unions, sometimes after it organized drive we would ask women what they like best about their union. Expect to hear it's the pay or the retirement, the number of times they'd say I actually get paid time off now I go pick up my son at school when he is sick. It became such a fundamental answer. Was so clear that the fact that we have no paid time off in any protections to take sick leave in this country were the only industrials desperate nation of the top 22 richest that don't provide any kind of resource for people in those situations. I know it's something that needed to be changed. It was one of the first bills I introduced. To workers have to earn the paid sick leave? Yes. Those workers, the 6.5 million who have never been able to take a paid day off, deftly had to worry about losing their job if they were sick will start to accrue an hour for every 30 hours worked. After a few weeks if they work 30 hours they would have enough time to accrue if they are sick or need to go to a doctor or a loved one is ill they can take time off. We used these statistics estimate of being affected by this in San Diego County. How are all the workers be informed of this new policy? There is an obligation by the employer to in form their place of this new right. We're going to a lot of work through the state of California to ensure the people know this is coming with paid and earned media. The employer has to provide workers with their accrual rates on a paycheck combined with their paycheck, how many hours they actually have earned and how many they have used. People are not getting that information that is a problem that will adjust that to the labor Commissioner's author office. The beauty of this law is affects everybody. For so long, we institute laws that only help old-time workers and we've seen so many in retail restaurants go to part time a schedule. Those workers get a bad deal. We want to not incentivize part-time work we would to keep them full-time. We would to ensure the benefits are available. They still have to earn it and work 30 hours to earn one. It affects everybody because Mike are there any exempt employers? Yes. The exempted employees are home healthcare workers through the state. He thought that should be a condition of their collective bargaining like other union members. A private in-home care of this is called at your home family care business in San Diego. When this bill was going to the state legislature, many business opposed to it or were apprehensive, what do you think it about it. There's no question we need to take care of all of our employees, my organization has been providing sickleave benefits for years. It wasn't mandated. I think there's a lot of benefits to a befitting 22. What's difficult for us and I realize there were certain exemptions provided is the nature of the work that I do and colleagues up and down the state do which makes this particular law extremely burdensome and extremely difficult to provide care for those who are most vulnerable. People with about mental disabilities. What kind of province are you encountering as you prepare for this implementation of the law. I'm in the middle of doing that right now. Some discussion to be frontloaded, to operate the three day sick leave of front, to be calculated out as a benefits, the requirements are very clear about that. We are in the process of doing that and I estimate the cost to my organization to provide this benefit in addition to the workers comp and the employment taxes is a proxy -- approximately $30,000 for my organization. The thing I have to come to visit try to be fair-minded and objective. I provide care for human beings. I very humanistic about that. We have to take a look at that and what that means to me because I didn't get an exemption I think I should have and others like us who help these populations, we have predominantly Perdiem workers by their choice. With a change in the overtime loss where we used to have exemptions or shift work which is needed to keep people out of institutions, that has been removed and taken off the table. We have seen is huge reductions in the access to shift work because those who aren't fixed incomes can't afford it. It places them at risk. You said you provided sickleave days to your employees before this became the law of the state because Mike to have any figures on how much that used to cost you? What I was referring to, we've been doing that for 40 hour per week at initiative people. The work force who provide the care for seniors disabled etc. are predominantly Perdiem. Some people like to call that part-time because Mike are more of a temporary worker status. We also find many have other jobs, they work for my organization or ABC Homecare down the street. Is not just home care. We're talking about home health pick up thousands of allied organizations throughout the state serving a populations some of whom have funding to local government agencies or the state. We all know how much those organizations are suffering. Here's what happens. I go to those organizations and said this law was passed. I need to have more money because I have to comply. They can accept it or not based on my performance as a contractor. Then my guess is we will see reduced services for people who are already highly optimized. Lorena, let me go to you. I'm wondering if you are hearing things like this from small and medium business as they get ready to comply with this law? Is always concerned when we create laws that protect workers. We heard it with the minimum wage. This is a new venture for us. In particular we talk about home health and we will continue to work on this issue. We have realize it's easier and cheaper to care for people in their homes then and it fusion. This Mike institution. She had a policy for the administrator but the mine workers interacting with the fragile population had to choose whether to come in sick and pay the bills or take the day off and go to the doctor. That's an unfair choice for any worker but that is a dangerous choice for home healthcare worker. That's why we continue to try to get the correct change his position to Obviously the unionized sector has other benefits they can rely on. This is critical as we move to a new society of temporary workers and no real employer or pertain employer. We still have to protect those workers. People still get sick, their own parents get sick to If we live where we say you work hard and do your best he should be at risk of losing your job or not being able to pay rents because you get sick once in a while. It's only three days a year. Their other policies to be passed throughout the country and the state have passed a much more rich policy. It's a limited in scope and with a overall we will see a beneficial reaction to everybody involved to Hopefully won't have home healthcare workers and 70s who goes to work sick because they have to pay the bills. Is a state doing anything to help the business if it meant the law? Yes. Since he got past is we wanted that extra time to The Department of Labor has been holding seminars, their staff has been at the whim of businesses calling in and just this past week we passed an additional bill to clarify the schedule for all businesses to ensure they had that option to give the days of front rather than have to keep the record of the system. Have to pass legislation to help businesses in ferment this because back at the end of the day, what was important to me and most Californians is we know that people who have never been able to take a day off because they are sick, they will be able to do so in a limited capacity. The cat lose their job as a result of it. Our society will be healthier and happier society and workforce. To see any positive effects in your business about this regulation? I'm trying to find them. I do need to share that many of the concerns expressed regarding unfair treatment silly doesn't apply to how I practice. We have workers who prefer a shorter schedule. They have children or go to school. They like that and that's exactly how we find to be the basis for our entire team in the workforce. We work with people who have issues or request time and they feel they have the liberty to do that. The problem I see I need to direct back to the client care. We worry so much about what the employees may or may not need or once, we may worry about what businesses need or want. Where we lose sight, the clients we serve. Is the position it puts me in the Some calls and says I'm sick and can't work the We resent it. -- We re-staff it. We are flexible with our people actually fair because we need all the caregivers we can find. We need people. We have no incentive for people not being a part of our team. With this new law, have to reset because I couldn't imagine leaving a paraplegic flying there by himself because I'm more concerned about the impact on the financial than I am about him I may be in the position to find and paying twice for the same amount of care that my reimbursement is only half of that. As I think is bad about the law. I really hope as we move forward in developing legislation that we can be available to look unintended costs consequences we develop in the future. As the law stands now, how will it be enforced and what happens to businesses who don't comply? All businesses have to comply. We are helpful over the years -- over the next few months, we will work out the kinks Eventually they'll be subject to damages through complaints in the labor Commissioner's office if they don't comply. It's like not complying with minimum-wage. It's another portion of the law they will have to come to terms with. Of vast majority will do the right thing the vast majority will do the right thing. Just want to point out it always been an advocate for those who are disabled, stuck at home. We will continue to seek higher reverse it rates for the providers of that so they can take care of this. We're also talking about the clients. I worry about the better it as well. If the worker decides to I take the day sick or die go into work and possibly in fact that clients, that's not good for the client either. It's a balance. We will continue to work to make sure as many people as possible can be made whole. It's going in the right direction direction and you see a pass in other states as well. Are calling on San Diego unified school District to change the name of one of the element to schools in your summary district. You what Robert E Lee elementary renamed. Has anyone in your district expressed opposition to that name or is that your idea? We started working on this quite a few months ago the I had no idea we even had a school named after Robert E Lee because so much of the material is says he elementary. There is a sign out front that makes it clear was named after a Confederate general. We heard from others of community and started talking to school Board President and represented for the area quite a few months ago the Is just a slow process. We want to have that discussion and it's not my decision or Marnie's pick a Is a community is a decision and we need to move on with the process and allow them to choose a more appropriate name's sake for the school that serves 97% brown and black kids quite frankly. I think the timing assessed because we are having a national discussion about the legacy of the Confederacy and the symbols that came from that. This is just another one of those. Even though we have worked on it for a while, both of us agree it's time to bring this up have a Townhall meeting and address the situation now. I want to thank both my guests thank you both very much.
A new California law requiring nearly all employers to offer workers at least three paid sick days a year goes into effect July 1.
Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego, authored the Healthy Workplace Healthy Family Act.
Gonzalez says Assembly Bill 1522 is expected to benefit 6.5 million workers, including part-time and temporary employees.
Gonzalez, who previously was the CEO of the San Diego-Imperial Counties Labor Council, said the need for paid sick leave is what drove her to ran for state Assembly. She said workers constantly told her about the need for time off when either they or their loved ones were sick.
“When I first got up here it was one of the first bills I introduced,” Gonzalez told KPBS Midday Edition.
But some small business owners say the new rules are burdensome.
Laurie Edwards-Tate, president and CEO of At Your Home Familycare, said many of her employees are part-time with other jobs. The requirement to give those workers paid sick time, in addition to other employee benefits, will cost her company more money, Tate said.
“This particular law is extremely burdensome,” Tate said.
Despite Tate’s concern, Gonzalez said part-time workers still need paid-time off.
“We still have to protect those workers,” Gonzalez said. “It’s only three days a year.”
California became the second state in the nation to offer paid sick leave to most workers.
