On Thursday, March 3, Philadelphia City Council passed a third installment of a bill that would guarantee up to 40 hours of paid sick leave for workers to recover from the pandemic, care for a sick family member or child whose school has closed, or take time off to obtain thee COVID-19 vaccine or booster shot. 

In September 2020 and then again in March 2021, City Council passed two emergency paid sick leave laws, protecting thousands of low-wage workers in the city. But due to pressure from corporate lobbyists, both previous bills included sunset provisions and later expired. 

Introduced by Councilmember Kendra Brooks, the 2022 Public Health Emergency Leave Bill will apply to any employer with 25 or more workers and cover all workers who are expected to physically report to their jobs. 

The bill was co-sponsored by Councilmembers Cindy Bass, Jamie Gauthier, Katherine Gilmore Richardson,  Helen Gym, Cherelle Parker, Mark Squilla, and Isaiah Thomas. 

While daily infection counts are down after the record-highs the city saw during the surge in cases due to COVID-19’s Omicron variant, Philly is still seeing significant spread of COVID-19, with other possible variants on the horizon. The bill’s passage represents citywide dedication to protect workers, even as other protective measures, such as vaccine and mask mandates, are phased out. 

“I’m proud to deliver emergency paid sick leave to Philadelphia workers once again, so that they will not be left out in the cold as we learn to live with the pandemic,” Brooks said on Thursday. 

“This is a victory for low-wage workers across the city who can now go into work with the peace of mind that they will never have to choose between staying home sick with COVID-19 and being unable to make rent or coming into work sick and putting the public in danger,” Brooks said. 

Before the City Council voted, a number of workers and labor leaders voiced their firm support for the bill, referencing the hazardous situations many workers faced during the 2021 holiday season. 

“Once, when my child was sick, I was told if I didn’t show up I did not have a job anymore. We do not have benefits or medical insurance. We get paid minimum wage. We need two jobs because the bills don’t stop. With the passage of this bill, we feel protected and valued as human beings,” said Erendira Zamacona Solano, an organizer with 215 People’s Alliance. 

Melissa Walter, co-founder of Love City Brewing, said that in general, this bill is crucial for employees in the service industry, and believes it will not only be a good public health policy, but a good business decision. 

“No one wants someone who is ill handling their food and beverages, and coworkers don’t want to risk getting ill themselves. But the simple truth is that workers who can’t afford to stay home, won’t. If the decision is between coming to work with an illness and missing out on a portion of your income, many workers will choose to work, especially if that income is the difference between being able to pay your rent that month or falling behind,” Walters said. 

This version of emergency paid sick leave will expire on Dec. 31, 2023, guaranteeing workers access to leave through the next phase of the pandemic and protecting Philadelphians should new variants emerge.

“Grateful for the diverse coalition of workers, business owners, labor leaders, and community advocates who have pushed this bill forward. When workers have paid sick leave, everyone is safer and healthier for it,” Brooks wrote on Twitter.