Pass sick/safe leave

Now that the elections are over, it is time for the Spokane City Council to vote on an earned sick and safe leave policy. As a member of the working group that made recommendations to the City Council on a framework of such a policy, I want to emphasize the need for a strong policy that allows employees to take up to five days of paid sick/safe leave per year.

We all get sick, and we shouldn’t have to decide whether to stay at home to care for a sick child or pay the rent. We shouldn’t have kids missing school to care for ill siblings because their parents can’t afford to take an unpaid day off work. Struggling families should be able to take a paid day off work to take care of themselves, or a loved one, or seek shelter from an abuser. The current proposal, which the city council will soon be voting on, allows for only three days of paid sick/safe leave a year.

I strongly urge the council to support struggling families by passing a strong sick/safe leave policy allowing five days of earned paid sick/safe leave per year as recommended by the working group.

Diane Belyea

Spokane