A Texas judge issued Monday night against the city of Dallas鈥� sick leave ordinance, finding that the local measure runs afoul of federal and state law.
Dallas鈥� ordinance , though enforcement wasn鈥檛 slated to start until Wednesday. The injunction halting implementation, however, comes that has sickened at least 3,000 in the state. Dallas County leads the state in the number of novel coronavirus cases.
Labor groups have argued that requiring paid sick leave would help contain the virus, allowing employees to stay at home when they get sick to avoid passing the illness on to others. But many of the state鈥檚 Republicans and conservative business groups have argued that sick leave ordinances 鈥� including similar ones on hold in San Antonio and Austin 鈥� are an overreach of a city鈥檚 regulatory power and that they violate the Texas Minimum Wage Act.
There is no federal law requiring employers to provide paid, job-protected sick leave; 59% of small-business employees have it, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Ten states, 20 cities and three counties also mandate it.
Dallas鈥� ordinance requires one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours an employee works. Workers would be able to accrue up to 64 hours of paid sick leave each year. For employers with fewer than 15 workers, the amount would be capped at 48 hours, or six paid sick days.
鈥淚n the midst of a global pandemic, a federal court has just enjoined the Dallas Paid Sick Leave Ordinance. We are outraged by this decision and cannot imagine a time when paid sick leave is more important and more necessary,鈥� the Workers Defense Project Monday evening.
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