Protest aims to get paid sick time for all workers

DENVER - They want to get sick time paid for all Denver workers, but organizers of a protest Tuesday targeted a downtown Starbucks.

Organizers with Campaign for a Healthy Denver say workers at the coffee shop don't get sick time in Denver, while they do at Starbucks in China, Chile and Greece.

They say companies that don't offer paid sick time cause sick workers to go to work when they should really be at home, which they say creates an unhealthy environment for everyone.

"Particularly if the employee has a virus or some sort of illness that's going around, they're exposing literally hundreds and hundreds of people per day to that, which in the long run creates a very unhealthy, not only workplace or a place for a customer to go but an unhealthy Denver, and that's what we don't want," Jason McKain, with Campaign for a Healthy Denver, said.

Supporters say paying workers would contribute to a healthier, more productive business culture.

Denver election officials are verifying signatures on a petition to get a paid sick time requirement added to the November ballot.

Denver Mayor-elect Michael Hancock told the Denver Business Journal last week he can't support a ballot initiative requiring paid sick time in part, because it won't help companies add jobs.