It’s being called a “preemptive strike” against workers rights: Wendy’s, Target, Marriott, Home Depot, and a few hundred other corporations are trying to get Congress to give them a special exemption from having to follow state & local laws that ensure workers get paid sick days.
They want Congress to get them out of having to follow any paid family leave laws we might pass, too.
The companies involved in this effort employ almost 1 in 10 U.S. workers. They’re asking Congress to carve them out a special loophole that says they don’t have to follow state and local laws about paid leave — including the statewide paid sick days we passed as part of Initiative 1433 in November. In exchange, they say they’re willing to agree to follow some optional national standards instead.
That’s not much of a bargain.
The right to take a sick day when you’re sick shouldn’t be optional. Having time to care for your family shouldn’t be a choice left up to giant corporations. And nobody should get to change the law just because they feel like it.
Congress has been unwilling to take action on these issues, so workers across the country have turned to state & local government for progress instead. And we’ve taken some huge steps forward. Seattle, Tacoma, SeaTac, and Spokane have all passed sick days laws in the past few years. The whole state voted for sick days as part of Initiative 1433 in November. Momentum is growing for paid family leave too.
And all of this would be preempted by Congress if these corporations get their way.
That’s not a coincidence. These corporations are looking to Congress because they’re afraid. They’re afraid of the popularity of raising labor standards. They’re afraid that workers are winning.
They’re afraid of you.
We can stop this — with your support,