No Coughing in Our Coffee: Paid Sick Leave to be Voted on This Fall

Business big shots and bleary-eyed employees headed for their daily dose of caffeine at Starbucks on the 16th Street Mall this morning weren't greeted by familiar faces. Rather, they were met with a scene from any hypochondriac's nightmare. Peaceful protesters, each donning infectious disease masks, gathered around the downtown Denver coffee shop to "stick it to the man," so to speak. 

They were passing out fliers and flapping signs that read "No Coughing in Our Coffees," and "No Viruses in Our Ventis." Many onlookers gazed at the spectacle with ambivalence, unfazed by the scene. However, those who did stop and chat with the masked marauders understood that the issue at hand was far from dull. 

As Huffpost Denver details, the Campaign for a Healthy Denver, advocates for paid sick leave in the city, submitted a petition last week to Denver's Election Division, in hopes of pushing the initiative to the fall ballot - and, with over triple the amount of signatures neccessary, the odds are in their favor. 

The group is singling out Starbucks over allegations that Greek, Chilean, and Chinese employees of the brewer-turned-behemoth receive paid sick days in their countries while the equivalent Denver born employees are denied comparable benefits. 

Campaign for a Healthy Denver, is a coalition of more than 50 community organizations, labor groups, faith leaders, and elected officials. They aim to protect public health through a ballot initiative that guarantees a minimum standard of paid sick days for all Denver employees in workplaces of all sizes. At a glance, their intentions are pure and their motives make sense.

As their website reveals, 

"Almost forty percent of Denver workers do not receive paid sick days – they are forced to choose between going to work sick and losing pay. Many even lose their jobs if they dare to call in sick."

Consequently, ailing workers drag themselves into restaurants, retailers, grocery stores, daycares, and the doggone office rather then watch their wages evaporate, as they sip on Benedryl from their bedside. But, by reporting to work, these employees only pass on their predicament to the public at large - giving everyone who comes into contact with them a chance to catch their contagious illness. 

The Colorado Public Health Association has taken to the cause as well. The association's president, Kyle Legleiter, says 

"the paid sick and safe time ballot initiative protects the public's health."

Clarifying the specifics, The Denver Post reports that companies with ten employees or more must afford nine paid sick days, while smaller companies must compensate for five. 

The measure isn't revolutionary either. 

Other cities, including the nation's capital, and San Francisco (a major U.S. business hub) have recognized the need to normalize paid sick leave. Efforts are also underway in New York and Seattle. Moreover, states have also standardized sick days, with Connecticut becoming the first state to sign similar legislation last Tuesday (July 8th). 

Nonetheless, pundits of the proposal allude to it's ability to make both cities and states uncompetitive with those who don't directly interfere with decisions that should be left up to businesses individually. 

Joe Brennan, a lobbyist for the Connecticut Business & Industry Association, augured its externalities, in an interview with the Washington Post.

“Where does it stop? Mandate vacation time? Mandate how many times people can get a coffee break during the day?”

His point isn't lost on all Coloradans either. Newly elected Denver Mayor-elect, Michael Hancock, is uneasy about the measure. He's uncomfortable with the fact that Campaign for a Healthy Denver didn't talk with business leaders in the community beforehand. 

He disclosed his discomfort in an interview with Denver Business Journal.

Flatly put, Hancock says that at this point in time he can't support the measure. His worries reveal a more pragmatic side, one that's committed to cutting the city's constantly decreasing unemployment figures - which hovered below the national average, at 8.7, in May. 

He echoes the business community's concern.

“People are still struggling to keep jobs viable in this city, and I don’t think at this point anything trumps that. I understand that we have to have compassionate employers ... I think there’s a better way to discuss this issue.”

Despite his dismay, Hancock may have to submit to the will of Denver voters, who almost certainly will get a chance to weigh in on the measure this November. With 12,636 petition signatures, the Campaign for a Healthy Denver has insured that direct democracy will have an opportunity to affect change in the city. If time is money, they ask, can we afford to be sick?