PRWA’s statement on paid sick leave
by Pittsburgh Restaurant Workers Aid Advisory Board
On June 24, the Allegheny County Board of Health will hold a public hearing for the proposed Allegheny County Health Department Regulation Article XXIV (Paid Sick Days) nearly 14 months after Allegheny County Council members introduced paid sick days legislation.
The current regulation states that any business with under 26 employees is exempt from providing paid sick days for its employees. A recent US Census County Business Patterns data examination by Restaurant Opportunities Center United Pittsburgh shows:
There are 2,221 restaurants in Allegheny County with less than 20 employees
These 2,221 establishments employ 10,115 workers
As the current regulation stands, at least 10,115 of our fellow workers in Allegheny County will not have access to paid sick days.
This economic consideration for smaller employers contradicts previous COVID-19 Allegheny County Health Department contact tracing data. An ACHD investigation illustrated a COVID-19 spike last June, “was due, in large part, to crowded conditions at bars, restaurants, and other businesses serving alcohol.”
Furthermore, restaurants and bars with under 26 employees aren’t exempt from other Board of Health regulations. Those regulations safeguard the dining public and workers. Why, then, are they exempt from a Paid Sick Leave regulation that also protects both the dining public and workers?
We fail to see the logic.
Well over a year into this pandemic, we know COVID-19 or any other illness does not discriminate based on the number of employees. According to the CDC restaurant and bar recommendations, indoor dining without distancing or reduced capacity remains the highest risk for COVID-19 transmission.
Though vaccination efforts increased COVID-19 immunity, restaurant and bar workers remain at much higher risk of contracting and spreading any number of airborne illnesses. Data from the previous year showed line cooks as the most at risk of death from coronavirus, with a higher incidence of death in Black and Latino workers. All of our workers deserve some level of protection/security for their families and communities.
Workers should not have to choose between their rent or their safety. Every worker in Allegheny County needs paid sick days.
