Eugene Approves Controversial Sick Leave Law

The mandatory sick leave law will go into effect next July.
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On Monday, July 28, the Eugene City Council approved a mandatory sick leave law with a 5-3 vote.  The law requires employers to provide workers with one hour of sick leave for every thirty hours of work, with a maximum of forty hours a year.   The law will apply to both businesses and nonprofits and will likely go into effect next July.

The law also affects employers outside the city limits whose employees work at least six weeks a year in Eugene.

Though other cities, including Seattle, Portland, and San Francisco, have already passed similar laws, Eugene is the smallest city in the nation to do so.

Proponents of the law argue that it will protect low-income individuals who can’t afford to stay home when they or their family members are sick.  Councilor Alan Zelenka called the measure “family friendly and worker friendly.”

Critics in Eugene are concerned that the law will add to business costs and be difficult to implement.  In fact, a small study done a year after Seattle implemented a similar law did show that putting the law into effect has been confusing and time-consuming for affected businesses, though the financial effect seems to be minimal.

In Eugene’s case, the majority sees the law as a positive step, though there are possible legal battles on the horizon with neighboring Lane County, which is already putting ordinances in place to limit the law’s reach.