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Businesses push for more data in emotional St. Paul sick leave debate

Stories of sick employees forced to choose between staying home or paying rent rang out in the lobby of St. Paul City Hall on Tuesday, where a group of faith leaders implored officials to pass paid leave regulations.

By Jessie Van Berkel

March 16, 2016 at 1:34AM

St. Paul clergy members gathered at City Hall asking for more equity when it comes to earned sick pay for working community members. Here, Rev. Charles Gill of Pilgrim Baptist Church spoke Tuesday, March 15, 2016, in St. Paul, MN. ](DAVID JOLES/STARTRIBUNE)djoles@startribune.com A group of clergy will gather in front of St. Paul City Hall on Tuesday to urge officials to adopt an earned sick leave policy. The event comes as the city's sick leave task force meetings are getting under way, and as Minneapolis is set to consider recommendations Wednesday from its own policy advisory group on the issue. Whatever Minneapolis signs off on could have significant impact on St. Paul, as businesses want continuity between the Twin Cities.**Charles Gill,cq (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Stories of sick employees forced to choose between staying home or paying rent rang out in the lobby of St. Paul City Hall on Tuesday, where a group of faith leaders implored officials to pass paid leave regulations.

"It's not fair that the poorest members of our city are most at risk of falling increasingly behind," said Pastor Bradley Schmeling of Gloria Dei Lutheran Church.

The religious advocates' urging comes as St. Paul is delving into the details of a citywide earned sick-leave policy. A task force is reviewing community input and other cities' regulations, including a proposal the Minneapolis City Council will hear Wednesday.

Matt Kramer, president of the St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce, who is a co-chairman of the task force, said they need a thorough analysis of the current sick leave situation.

He said the city should not make policy decisions based on emotion and estimates. For instance, faith leaders and advocates have said 72,200 workers in St. Paul lack paid sick time, but he noted that is an approximation from national surveys.

"How many people are we actually talking about? What's the population look like? How many businesses are affected?" Kramer said.

He also hopes state legislation will pre-empt cities' sick leave regulations. Forcing companies with employees who work in more than one city to navigate various rules would be "silliness at a level that is next to impossible to rationalize with common sense," Kramer said.

The need for continuity between the Twin Cities' policies is "definitely on everybody's mind," said Rose Roach, another co-chairwoman of the task force. But she said the group will study many cities' policies as it figures out what works best for St. Paul.

Members of the 26-person task force, which includes small business owners, nonprofit staff members and labor representatives, met for the first time last week. They are scheduled to give recommendations to a city commission in May. The group is also sifting through community input gathered online and at listening sessions.

Jolene Mason, a St. Paul resident who attended one of the sessions, supported paid sick leave. She recently had pneumonia.

"The whole time I was in the hospital I was thinking, 'Oh my god, how much sick time do I have?' " Mason said. "If you're sick that can wreak havoc on your whole family."

Several small business owners, like Greg Ryan of Ryan Plumbing & Heating, said they oppose the additional government regulation. Ryan said he already takes care of good employees if they are ill, and the new rules could create additional obstacles for St. Paul businesses.

Jessie Van Berkel • 612-673-4649

St. Paul clergy members gathered at City Hall to push for a citywide earned sick-leave policy. At right, the Rev. Grant Stevensen fielded media questions. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

about the writer

Jessie Van Berkel

Reporter

Jessie Van Berkel is the Star Tribune’s social services reporter. She writes about Minnesota’s most vulnerable populations and the systems and policies that affect them. Topics she covers include disability services, mental health, addiction, poverty, elder care and child protection.