A report from the University of Washington shows that despite Seattle’s new paid sick leave ordinance, many workers may not have reaped the benefit.
The ordinance, which affects about 11,000 businesses in Seattle, mandates that any business with more than four employees provide paid sick leave for all employees, regardless of full- or part-time status, as well as “safe time” for those dealing with domestic violence.
The report randomly surveyed more than 1,400 employers about a year after the ordinance passed and right before it took effect in September 2012. The researchers were contracted by the Seattle Office of City Auditor to do the evaluations, and they presented their first findings to the Seattle City Council July 10.
According to the report, more than a quarter of employers did not offer any kind of paid time off to any employee, and about 65 percent did not offer it to part-time employees as required by the law. A small minority, 3 percent, offered paid sick leave to temporary or occasional employees, who are also now eligible.
Overall, two-thirds of businesses were noncompliant.
Councilmember Bruce Harrell said he was most surprised to learn that four out of 10 employers said they did not know about the ordinance.
“It’s pretty startling to me how many employers weren’t even aware of the ordinance,” Harrell said, “It’s been talked about and debated for so long.”
At a recent city council discussion to address issues faced by fast food workers, Councilmember Nick Licata asked five employees if they had heard of Seattle’s sick leave ordinance. Some said no.
Ryan Parker, who works at Wendy’s, said that there was a small notice about the paid sick leave ordinance posted in the workplace, but he felt both his coworkers and employers were ignorant when it came to the specifics.
Councilmembers agreed that more needed to be done to educate employers and employees about the ordinance and discussed the idea of partnering with the Office of Civil Rights and King County Public Health to work on outreach.
But even among employers who are aware of the ordinance, some don’t intend to comply. For employers who knew about the ordinance and did not offer paid leave, only four in 10 said they planned on changing policies.
“My interpretation of this is that change will come gradually,” said UW researcher Jennifer Romich.
In workplaces that offered paid leave, workers were more likely to work while sick, an irony that caught councilmembers’ attention. Romich said that since they were surveying employers, those who did not offer paid sick leave might be less likely to report sick workers.
The current report provides a baseline. To assess the first year of the ordinance, researchers will begin another survey in August.