San Antonio passes paid sick leave ordinance

originally posted by: TinySickTears

originally posted by: BrianFlanders
I guess I'm a little confused. Why would anyone pay you to get sick?

i guess the same reason they pay you to take a vacation.
its called a benefit

Are we still allowed to call it a benefit when it's mandated by law?

Dang now I have consider I don't have it too bad. The company I currently work for pays out a week of sick time every year with accumulations up to 170 hours. I was getting upset that if you are a responsible person who shows up for work, after 170 hours are accumulated, you are losing the money.

I guess I should be grateful to even get the time. But then again, is our wage being suppressed due to this benefit? If a company figures this into their total compensation, I would take it on the front end and just get paid more. It is like those annual statements sent out that shows what you actually 'cost' the company. It is usually 2-3x's your salary with all of the benefits. When I asked if I could take responsibility for my life decisions and trade some of those benefits for more take home pay, they just laughed at me. If they send out the statement of what it costs to keep me employed, why should they care as to how it is distributed?

That would be funny to claim a contractor status, they should be able to pay that total sum including benefits without batting an eye, it would be less paperwork for them. But that would give up the lie in startling fashion.

a reply to: CB328

must be FORCED to respect. 

Kind of says it all there doesn't it?

originally posted by: CB328
I am surprised not to see this on here. Apparently Austin already passed this, now San Antonio. As a contract worker I can tell you that it is ridiculous to work for a fortune 100 company and if I get sick I don't get paid a dime, though I am one of the top workers in my department. I think there should be some kind of national law passed that all major employers have to have some sort of sick leave for their workers. Missing just a few days can cause people to not be able to pay their bills, and I believe that leave is a human rights issue, that our increasingly capitalist country must be forced to respect.

www.texastribune.org...

Try this thought exercise...

If you go to a store to buy an item and they are closed because the owner is sick... do you still leave your money even though you didn't get the item you came to buy since the store was closed? Of course not!

As a contract worker, you are a small business. When you are out sick, you essentially are closed just like the store in the example above. As such, you don't get paid until you deliver the "contract work" which means your butt needs to be at work.

If you are an EMPLOYEE, it is a little different as it isn't quite a business transaction. Vacations and the like are baked into the agreed upon salary already.

With that said, if you are a contractor, you can easily negotiate days off in your contract with your client. Of course, all this really means is that you won't be getting paid as much.

a reply to: Edumakated

That's it, in a nut shell.

originally posted by: CB328
It's called civilization.

And I do have a small cushion, I don't spend 100% of my money, but close to it with medical and child support.

That's a statistical fact, many full-time working people are always on the cusp of bankruptcy ....the real catch 22 when taxation, mortgage and cost of living drains most of it each month. UK workers in the main are paid sick leave, as is much of the EU.

In the US the average wage per hour, at this time, is stagnant and has no more value than 30 years or more ago, so it must be damned hard keeping afloat for so many. Sick pay for loyal workers is only the right and just thing to do, and it should be nationwide.

a reply to: Edumakated

As a contract employee for a company that contracts out services, this option would be tied back to the originating contracting employer. Unless it is a US Federal contractor which acquires 30:1 in sick time accumulation.

Exyremely briefly: An independent contractor, under 1099, one should be writing everything off already in addition to saving a min of 20% plus of gross pay to cover taxes and social security.

There are inexpensive insurance policies for sick pay (etcetera) for independent contractors, which is also a write off.

In most contract Labor situations, one is on their own. Best to do a little research and reading.

Mg

originally posted by: TinySickTears

originally posted by: BrianFlanders
I guess I'm a little confused. Why would anyone pay you to get sick?

its called a benefit

And not an obligation.

Who the hell doesn't offer sick days??? I've been with the same company for 17 years, and after the first year we all get 3 paid sick days. If you don't use them, they roll over to next year. I've taken 5 the whole time I've been here so I could be sick for a few months and get paid for it. This is a minimum wage starting, retail job.

a reply to: CB328


My feet hurt sometimes at work.

I think my employer should be forced to give me foot massages.

And don't skimp on the cheap lotions! I want Tea Tree Oils dammit!

originally posted by: CB328
It's called civilization.

And I do have a small cushion, I don't spend 100% of my money, but close to it with medical and child support.

It's called options. Your options were to stay with your partner and raise your child together, or split up and make sacrifices. Now, if you're a widower, I apologize. But you were given choices. You made yours. Now your hope is big gov to step in and mandate employers to provide additional benefits? Nope.
I work for a company that provides sick days for contract employees. Did the gov have to step in and force them to provide this to it's employees? Nope. Are they one of the best companies to work for, voted yearly as a top company to work for? You betcha.
Point is, I exercised my options, stay happily married and work for a great company.

originally posted by: rollanotheronestay happily married and work for a great company.

You've got this all figured out! Why didn't anyone else think of that?

originally posted by: TinySickTears

originally posted by: BrianFlanders
I guess I'm a little confused. Why would anyone pay you to get sick?

i guess the same reason they pay you to take a vacation.
its called a benefit

It would be a lot more beneficial if they paid me to exist.

originally posted by: rollanotherone

originally posted by: TinySickTears

originally posted by: BrianFlanders
I guess I'm a little confused. Why would anyone pay you to get sick?

its called a benefit

And not an obligation.

notice i said it would be nice if we all get sick time?
it would be

who said obligated?

if you are a contractor, you can easily negotiate days off in your contract with your client

No I can't, and they stopped hiring people because they're being bought out.

a reply to: TinySickTears

You refer to benefits, sick pay as a benefit would be part of the employment package based on position of hire, or it should be negotiated during the interview process.

I agree, it can be difficult to not have certain benefits, but its equally difficult paying them.

Just because we as a society recognize hardship, doesnt mean we deserve to have hardship removed by soneone elses effort.

What if this imposed benefit puts the company you work for out of business? Then what, or who pays your " I dont have a job, or money benefit"

When corporations grow large enough many benefits become available for all. I reccommend upping your game if you need more...AND Im not trying to be an ass, just trying to speak from experience.

a reply to: BlueJacket

ok.

thats great and all

still would be nice to have sick time.

i post 1 line and you and others go into this long diatribe about them.

even if the logistics of it were impossible. the world would collapse if sick time happened.

it would still be nice to have sick time.

no need to think past that.

Contract workers don't usually get paid sick leave, employees yes. A common benefit for full time employees is
1/2 day sick day benefit earned per month, so (6) paid sick days per year.

My Union takes great care of me. The corporate CEO don't care about the working man.

Union proud, Union Strong...

originally posted by: TinySickTears

originally posted by: rollanotherone

originally posted by: TinySickTears

originally posted by: BrianFlanders
I guess I'm a little confused. Why would anyone pay you to get sick?

its called a benefit

And not an obligation.

notice i said it would be nice if we all get sick time?
it would be

who said obligated?

I said it. Not sure how you couldn't figure that out since I posted it.