By Felicity Bosk
A task-force is holding listening sessions regarding earned sick and safe time as a possible mandate for all employers in Duluth.
Duluth City Counselor Zack Filipovich brought idea to the City Council in mid-2016. He put forward an ordinance to establish a task force to look into and make recommendations to the City Council about how the city might implement earned sick and safe time.
“Anyone who works in Duluth would have access to earned sick and safe time,” said Vice Chair of the Duluth DFL party Corey Cusick. “One of the first things they found out was about how of the people working in Duluth do not have sick and safe time that it was disproportionally poor people and women.”
Paid sick time off work is common in many jobs where if you are not able to work due to an illness, you don’t have to worry about not being paid or about losing your job. Safe time, as Cusick describes, is for people who are suffering abuse and or need to get out of a bad situation and are unable to work because of it.
Earned sick and safe time would benefit Superior residents who work in Duluth by requiring employers to offer sick and safe that that can be earned and used when needed.
The task force is having several listening sessions to hear from Duluth workers and employers on how this ordinance would affect them. The next listening session will be held on March 22 at the Morgan Park Community Center from 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm.
If you are unable to make it to one of their listening sessions, they are looking for employees in Duluth to answer a survey about their experience with sick and safe time at their jobs.
