Pittsburgh council approves law requiring paid covid sick leave

Pittsburgh businesses with more than 50 employees will be required to provide paid sick leave to workers who contract covid-19 or who are required to quarantine because of exposure during the pandemic.

City council members approved the bill requiring the paid leave, and it is supported by Mayor Bill Peduto. He is expected to sign it soon.

“The mayor thanks council for its vote to help city workers stay healthy in these dangerous times,” Peduto spokesman Tim McNulty said.

No one opposed the bill, which was introduced Nov. 23 by Peduto as a move to help people who would otherwise be affected by the Dec. 31 expiration of federal requirements for such leave.

“It’s just the right thing to do at the right time,” Councilwoman Deb Gross said.

The bill was crafted with input from unions and business owners in the city, Peduto’s chief of staff Dan Gilman said.

“It’s not a bill I’m typically inclined to vote for,” Councilman Anthony Coghill said. “However, these are not normal times.”

The bill was supported by Service Employees International Union 32BJ, led by Sam Williamson, who also is chair of the city’s Urban Redevelopment Authority.

During a Monday meeting to get input about the bill, Williamson shared the stories of some local workers who have faced the dilemma of whether to take off work or abide by quarantine rules during the pandemic.

“These are dark, dark times for our city,” Williamson said. “The case numbers keep getting worse. As we see it, this measure is desperately needed. We’re in a crisis.”

Wendell Young, president of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1776, also supported the law.

Young noted that UFCW has had a good working relationship with Giant Eagle throughout the pandemic and said the store’s union employees have had similar benefits throughout the pandemic.

“One of the things we did early on is we contacted all of our employers and said, ‘We want to collaborate with you to keep people safe’,” Young said. “I think this is one of those things, the employers who want to do the right thing, this shouldn’t be a problem for them. If you can’t do this, you shouldn’t be open.”

The health of its employees is a top priority, said Giant Eagle spokesman Dick Roberts.

“As part of our efforts, we provide team members with paid sick leave of up to 14 days to ensure they have the flexibility they need to focus on getting well should they test positive for covid-19 or be quarantined while awaiting test results,” Roberts said. “We appreciate the discussion the mayor and city council have started regarding covid-19-related paid sick leave and we look forward to the continued dialogue with hopes that we will arrive at a solution that promotes the health of Pittsburgh’s employees and the business community alike.”

The requirement is temporary and is a separate part of the city’s sick leave requirements that were approved in 2015 but subject to litigation. They went into effect March 15, just as the first covid cases were reported in the region.

The covid-related leave requirements will expire a week after the city’s pandemic emergency expires.

Initially declared March 13, council extended the emergency through Jan. 12 in a separate unanimous vote Tuesday.