Reflections on Paid Sick Time

The following were a few reflections submitted to SWU after the Mayors Hearing on Paid Sick Time Thursday, August 8th, 2018.

A Worker Economy

"The debate is that Paid Sick Time will harm our economic growth, or be unfavorable to business. I feel like this thinking actually echos the main agendas of those in control of city work and direction. When we look at how the city has created incentive packages that favor new businesses to come to San Antonio, and continuously reinforce developer needs (land owners) while excluding workers rights. This shows a history of prioritizing the owner and not the worker. The city has indicated is that they believe the economy is only the owner, and fail to believe that workers are a main part of that economy as well.

It can be shown that if wages increase and employees are satisfied then the economy will grow. It is harmful to San Antonio if the appearance of the city was simply pro-developer, business owner versus towards the worker. Along with other forms of gentrification happening in our city we can see the city is more willing to listen to claims on potential economic harm to business than it would be to its own working class community. With this acknowledgment, we will have trouble with any working class efforts including wages, or employment opportunities, to even the housing of our workforce. "

- B. Gordon

Workers Health is Environmental Health

"We stands behind the rights of workers to care for their families and themselves. This is not special favors, this is a demand for justice for working persons. In San Antonio, there are many environmental illnesses that frontline communities must bear the brunt of from toxic contamination to asthma complications many working class families cannot afford to miss work to heal themselves.

If the city is serious about climate equity the least they can do is offer more support for worker’s health because our families are the ones working and living in toxic sites. We need time to focus on our health without debating on losing our jobs, or missing income that will throw home budgets into chaos. If corporations who are so opposed to Paid Sick Leave they should invest in cleaner technologies, invest in workers health, and support insurance packages that cover all workers. We should not be asked to jeopardize our health for anyone’s profit margins.

Southwest Workers Union demands a just transition away from policies and corporations that exploit their workforce. We are at a time of deep intersections of workers justice, environmental health, and the sacred right to migrate and it is time that policies are built in just manners that up lift our community’s most basic needs. As business has spent millions of dollars in opposition, organizers have built strong connection with community reaching thousands of voters who back Paid Sick Leave. The reality is opposition to workers rights are not only based in colonization and the commodification of black and brown bodies, they are also based in greed and cruelty.

We demand justice, we demand paid sick leave for workers and investment in cleaner jobs for our communities."

- B. Davila De Leon