Protection for workers? Or government overreach? A controversial new ordinance that will require most businesses in Dallas to provide paid sick time for their employees took effect Thursday.
The Dallas City Council first approved the measure back in April by a 10-4 vote.
It requires all businesses with more than five employees to give each employee one hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours worked.
It also sets limits on how much paid sick time workers can earn each year. Depending on the size of their employer, it's capped at either six or eight days.
Earlier this week, two Collin County-based businesses filed a federal lawsuit in an attempt to block the ordinance from taking effect.
Although they're not located in Dallas, they said they have employees who conduct enough business in the city to earn paid sick time under the new rule -- and therefore, they claim, the city is extending its regulatory power beyond city limits.
The suit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas in Sherman. A judge has been assigned to the case, but so far, no rulings have been made.
A city spokesperson said as such, the ordinance still takes effect Thursday, despite the ongoing litigation.
Similar measures passed by the cities of Austin and San Antonio have also faced legal challenges and have been stalled by the courts.
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Supporters of the ordinance estimate that approximately 300,000 workers in Dallas did not earn paid sick time before it took effect. They argue it protects those employees and their co-workers so they're not showing up to work sick out of fear that they won't be able to cover bills and expenses otherwise.
Lee Daugherty says it's a benefit he started providing his own employees years ago at Alexandre's bar.
He's spent the last year and a half helping to usher in this new ordinance, so that others in the service industry could benefit, too.
“There a lot of ways to look at this policy, not only from a moral thing to do, taking care of sick people and not causing them harm when they are down. But from a business perspective. Increasing morale, increasing productivity, this program pays for itself," said Daugherty.
Opponents of the measure, including the Dallas Regional Chamber, note that most businesses in Dallas already provide some type of sick leave -- and have expressed concerns that a "one size fits all" approach could hurt small businesses, in particular, suggesting they may have to cut hours or reduce jobs to afford it.
“It just doesn’t make sense to do something of this magnitude across all different industries and businesses of all different sizes," said Senior Vice President of Public Policy Priscilla Camacho.
Although the ordinance takes effect Thursday, the city has said it will not begin enforcing it until April 2020, so that businesses have time to adjust and ensure they're in compliance.
