To: Allegheny County Council

As union members, working families, and community advocates, we are excited to see Allegheny County Council move to build on the progress made with the City of Pittsburgh's Paid Sick Days Act. This is not just good pandemic policy; it is good public policy. That's why we are encouraging all members of Allegheny County Council to move quickly, vote yes, and incorporate the following proposals into their legislation to enhance and strengthen it:

1. Raise the Cap on Accrual of Paid Leave: As this pandemic has demonstrated, 3 to 5 days of paid sick leave may not give enough time for those on the front lines of a public health emergency to rest and recover. County Council should raise the caps on how much paid sick leave workers can accrue in a given year.
    
2. Increase Compensation for Tipped Workers: County Council should add language to this legislation which sets the compensation rate for tipped workers to the minimum wage plus an average of their tips over a given period of time. Tipped workers, as well as commission-based workers like nail techs, deserve to be compensated at a rate closer to their actual wage.
    
3. Front Load Paid Leave: County Council should include language which requires businesses to front-load sick time. During a public health crisis like this, workers can't wait to accrue paid sick leave to access their benefits.
    
4. Paid Safe Leave: County Council should include language in this legislation which creates a county-wide program for Paid Safe Leave. This would give survivors of sexual violence and domestic abuse and their immediate family members the time to heal and attend to their needs. 

We can't choose when we get sick, but we can choose to take care of ourselves and our community. Passing a countywide Paid Sick Leave ordinance will allow us to do exactly this and keep people safe. We look forward to seeing this program implemented in all communities across Allegheny County.