Earned Sick Leave is Law - 5 GOODE Bills are successful

Councilman W. Wilson Goode, Jr.’s EARNED SICK LEAVE STANDARD Bill is now law. The new ordinance will add an earned sick leave requirement to his Living Wage and Benefits Law. Covered employers shall provide to each full-time, non-temporary, non-seasonal covered employee at least the number of earned sick leave days that the employer would have been required to provide to such employees if the provisions of Bill No. 080474-AA, as passed by Council on June 16, 2011, had been enacted into law rather than vetoed by the Mayor. The Mayor did not veto Goode’s bill.

The employers described below shall comply with the minimum compensation standards.
(1) The City of Philadelphia, including all its agencies, departments and offices.
(2) For-profit Service Contractors, which receive or are subcontractors on contract(s) for $10,000 or more from the City in a twelve-month period, with annual gross receipts of more than $1,000,000.
(3) Non-profit Service Contractors which receive or are subcontractors on contract(s) from the City of more than $100,000 in a twelve-month period.
(4) Recipients of City leases, concessions, or franchises, or subcontractors thereof, which employ more than twenty-five (25) employees.
(5) City financial aid recipients. Compliance shall be required for a period of five (5) years following receipt of aid.
(6) Public agencies which receive contract(s) for $10,000 or more from the City in a twelve-month period.

City Council’s Commerce and Economic Development Committee has approved my Earned Sick Leave Standard Bill to add an earned sick leave requirement to my Living Wage and Benefits Law. The Committee also approved three other measures.

The Earned Sick Leave Standard Bill would require that covered employers also provide to each full-time, non-temporary, non-seasonal covered employee, at least, the number of the earned sick leave days that the employer would have been required to provide to such employees if the provisions of Bill No. 080774-AA, as passed by Council on June 16, 2011, had been enacted into law. Bill No. 080774-AA was vetoed by the Mayor, so it was never enacted.

My Living Wage and Benefits Law requires City-supported employers to pay at least 150% of the federal minimum wage to its employees. It also mandates that if the employer provides healthcare benefits to any of its employees, the employer shall provide each full-time employee healthcare benefits at least as valuable as the basic healthcare benefits that are provided to the employer’s other full-time employees. There is an exemption for small businesses. Employers subject to the ordinance include:
(1) The City of Philadelphia, including all its agencies, departments and offices.

(2) For-profit Service Contractors, which receive or are subcontractors on contract(s) for $10,000 or more from the City in a twelve-month period, with annual gross receipts of more than $1,000,000.

(3) Non-profit Service Contractors which receive or are subcontractors on contract(s) from the City of more than $100,000 in a twelve-month period.

(4) Recipients of City leases, concessions, or franchises, or subcontractors thereof, which employ more than twenty-five (25) employees.

(5) City financial aid recipients. Compliance shall be required for a period of five (5) years following receipt of aid.

We've been here before - on different levels - it's time to choose the same priorities!

http://youngphillypolitics.com/node/2079

Mayor Michael A. Nutter recently signed two bills into law that deal with both job creation and job quality. The two bills were crafted by City Councilman W. Wilson Goode, Jr., who has introduced sixty-five bills that have been approved by Philadelphia City Council since taking office in January 2000.

The Mayor signed the Job Creation Opportunity Extension Bill into law, extending a two-year employment stimulus program under which a credit against the City's business privilege taxes will be given to businesses that create new jobs within the City of Philadelphia. The businesses will receive a $3000 credit for each new job created for tax years 2012 and 2013, in addition to 2010 and 2011.

City Councilman W. Wilson Goode, Jr. has introduced sixty-five bills that have been approved by Philadelphia City Council since taking office in January 2000. The last two bills deal with both job creation and job quality. The 45 year-old Chairman of Council’s Commerce and Economic Development Committee formerly served as Vice President of Philadelphia Commercial Development Corporation and as Economic Development Administrator for the Philadelphia Department of Commerce.

City Council has approved the Job Creation Opportunity Extension Bill, introduced by Councilman Goode, extending a two-year employment stimulus program under which a credit against the City's business privilege taxes will be given to businesses that create new jobs within the City of Philadelphia. The businesses will receive a $3000 credit for each new job created for tax years 2012 and 2013, in addition to 2010 and 2011.

City Council’s Committee on Commerce & Economic Development has approved the “Job Creation Opportunity Extension Bill”, introduced by City Councilman W. Wilson Goode, Jr., extending a two-year employment stimulus program under which a credit against the City's business privilege taxes will be given to businesses that create new jobs within the City of Philadelphia. The businesses will receive a $3000 credit for each new job created for tax years 2012 and 2013, in addition to 2010 and 2011.

The Job Creation Tax Credit Program was established in May 2002 to encourage businesses to expand employment within the City of Philadelphia. It is based on the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Job Creation Tax Credit program and offers a credit against the firm’s Business Privilege Tax liability for each new job created. The program can be utilized by companies of any type or size located anywhere in the city.

City Council’s Committee on Commerce & Economic Development has approved the Leaseholder Wage and Benefits Bill, introduced by City Councilman W. Wilson Goode, Jr., to broaden the definition of employers subject to New Minimum Wage and Benefits Ordinance.

The Leaseholder Wage and Benefits Bill amends the New Minimum Wage and Benefits Ordinance to establish that a tenant or leaseholder of a City Financial Aid Recipient who occupies property or uses equipment or property that is improved or developed as a result of the City aid shall be considered a “City Financial Aid Recipient” and shall be covered for the same period as the City Financial Aid Recipient of which they are a tenant or leaseholder.

City Councilman At-Large W. Wilson Goode, Jr. has introduced the “Job Creation Opportunity Extension Bill”. The legislation extends a two-year employment stimulus program under which a credit against the City's business privilege taxes will be given to businesses that create new jobs within the City of Philadelphia. The businesses will receive a $3000 credit for each new job created for tax years 2012 and 2013, in addition to 2010 and 2011.

The Job Creation Tax Credit Program was established in May 2002 to encourage businesses to expand employment within the City of Philadelphia. It is based on the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Job Creation Tax Credit program and offers a credit against the firm’s Business Privilege Tax liability for each new job created. The program can be utilized by companies of any type or size located anywhere in the city.

After voters overwhelmingly approved the change to the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter by more than a 7 to 3 margin last Tuesday, I decided to broaden the impact of the living wage and benefits standard ... so I introduced the Leaseholder Wage and Benefits Bill last Thursday to broaden the definition of employers subject to the New Minimum Wage and Benefits Ordinance.

The New Minimum Wage and Benefits Ordinance requires City-supported employers to pay at least 150% of the federal minimum wage to its employees. It also mandates that if the employer provides healthcare benefits to any of its employees, the employer shall provide each full-time employee healthcare benefits at least as valuable as the basic healthcare benefits that are provided to the employer’s other full-time employees. There is an exemption for small businesses. Employers subject to the ordinance include:

The Philadelphia Daily News endorsed all ballot questions today - urging a "YES" vote.

http://www.philly.com/dailynews/opinion/20101101_DN_Editorial__How_to_vo...

I ask that you pay particular attention to Ballot Question # 1.

Support more livable wages and benefits!

The Philadelphia Inquirer endorsed all ballot questions today - urging a "YES" vote.

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/opinion/20101028_Inquirer_Editorial__Yes_...

I ask that you pay particular attention to Ballot Question # 1.

Support more livable wages and benefits!

VOTE November 2nd for the Wage and Benefits Ballot Question.

Should City Council be allowed to establish a local minimum wage and benefits standard?

YES!

I am urging you to vote YES on Ballot Question #1 to confirm City Council's authority to enact ordinances requiring economic opportunity plans.

This is not a symbolic measure - its purpose is to codify current and future "economic opportunity " ordinances within the Home Rule Charter without conflict with the Mayor's general authority with regard to non-competitively bid and professional services contracts.

It is my belief that business and workforce diversity goals, as well as living wage and benefit standards, should be applied to all contracts. Yet, the City's Law Department has, for years, maintained that any ordinance enacted by City Council is not legally enforceable with regard to non-competitively bid and professional services contracts unless specifically authorized by the Charter.

City Councilman At-Large W. Wilson Goode, Jr., primary sponsor of the City’s first campaign finance law, introduced charter change legislation that would limit the amount of successive terms that can be served as a member of Philadelphia City Council.

The Philadelphia Home Rule Charter would be amended to provide that members of City Council shall be limited to three successive four-year terms, or one succeeding four-year term if elected in 2011.

Councilman Goode said, “The odds of being employed as a legislator in the United States are 1 in 2091.”

With rising unemployment nationally, along with declining wage tax revenue locally, there will be an urgent shift in public policy focus toward job creation in the near future.

City Councilman At-Large W. Wilson Goode, Jr. already made his move. In January, he introduced the “New Philadelphia Jobs Tax Credit Ordinance”. The legislation, unanimously approved and signed into law in June, established a two-year employment stimulus program under which a credit against the City's business privilege taxes will be given to businesses that create new jobs within the City of Philadelphia for the next two years. The businesses will receive a $3000 credit for each new job created for tax years 2010 and 2011.