I own a mobile food trailer. The majority of my employees are students or others looking to pick up extra shifts on weekends and holidays intermittently when not working at their other, "real job". As a small business, there is absolutely no way I could afford to pay sick leave to my employees. We are a local business which has been open since 1993, and over the past 24 years have employed about 30 part-time employees annually, with very low turnover, especially for a service industry job. It is common for our employees to return for 4 or 5 seasons... Continue reading
I own a mobile food trailer. The majority of my employees are students or others looking to pick up extra shifts on weekends and holidays intermittently when not working at their other, "real job". As a small business, there is absolutely no way I could afford to pay sick leave to my employees. We are a local business which has been open since 1993, and over the past 24 years have employed about 30 part-time employees annually, with very low turnover, especially for a service industry job. It is common for our employees to return for 4 or 5 seasons, some working just during the school year and some working just during the summer. We operate and schedule differently than most companies, my employees essentially make their own schedule and can therefore schedule and make accommodations for class or appointments, and even have the opportunity to pick up more shifts throughout the month if needed/desired, allowing them the flexibility to hold a job when their schedule may otherwise not conform to a more structured and rigid job schedule. My employees are all paid hourly, and most work less than 20 hrs per week. My business is seasonal, and is only open for 8 months out of the year. Our work schedule works for my business and my employees.
Before owning the business, I did work here throughout high school and even put myself through college working over spring break and the summer. The flexible schedule allowed me to work while going to school and even post-college while trying to decide the next step. This is a first job for over half of my employees, giving them work experience and many on the job training skills. I consider myself a fair and understanding employer, and like to work with my employees on a daily basis. I do my best to help them when unexpected circumstances arise, but also have a business to keep afloat. I have a strong and close relationship with all of my employees and former employees.
I could support not loosing a job because of an illness or a family illness, and being supportive and making accommodations for an employee, but do not believe it is fair to other employees or myself to be required to pay someone paid sick leave. Why should someone get paid for not working because they are sick, when someone else doesn't get paid because they are not scheduled to work that day? Or why should the sick person be paid while another employee is covering his/her shift or making up the difference in the work load for being short staffed? It just doesn't make sense.
An ordinance can not be put in place to accommodate every.single.way. businesses and work schedules are structured. Employees have a choice in who they work for and can take paid sick leave benefits in to consideration in the exact way they take other benefits in to consideration. I do NOT believe a city ordinance will solve these disparity problems listed above, and in fact would be detrimental to my business, my employees, and my family.
Over the years, especially in the past year after having a baby, I have spent significant amount of time thinking about issues like PTO, whether it be for sick leave or maternity leave. In my position, if I take maternity leave or extended sick leave, my day to day business operations will stop, my business will close, and my employees will be out of work. No city ordinance will change my reality as the small business owner and the hands keeping this business running 7 days a week.
