Wolf Promises Veto of Sick-Leave-Killing Bill

Not so fast Republicans.

With the Republican-controlled state Senate moving forward with a bill that would essentially kill Philadelphia’s new paid sick leave requirements, Gov. Tom Wolf said he would veto the measure, according to Newsworks.

Philadelphia’s new law requires that businesses employing 10 or more people must provide one hour of paid sick leave per every 40 hours worked. But the Pennsylvania State Senate passed a bill earlier this month that would pre-emptively stop local governments from passing laws requiring companies to offer paid sick leave — essentially eradicating the Philadelphia law.

“Governor Wolf supports paid sick leave for workers, and local municipalities’ ability to pass ordinances for leave that they believe will help families and the economy,” a spokesman from the governor’s office said.

The Newsworks story also quotes Sen. Vincent Hughes, a big proponent of paid sick leave:

“The city should be allowed to govern itself. It went through a five-, six-year process of achieving a sick-leave policy,” Hughes told reporters last week. “Then to have it upended without a serious attempt to have a negotiation around a statewide sick-leave policy … that’s kind of childish behavior.”

Earlier this week, White House senior advisor Valerie Jarrett called the measure to block Philadelphia’s paid sick leave “dreadful,” according to CBSPhilly.

“I think that frankly, Pennsylvania should follow Philadelphia’s lead,” Jarrett says. “Don’t you?”

Critics of the Philadelphia law believe it infringes on private-sector rights. Sen. John Eichelberger was quoted in a recent Philadelphia Inquirer article calling it a “mistake.”

“The fact that Philadelphia went ahead and pushed this through . . . was a mistake,” he said.