Stop Mandatory Paid Time Off in Tucson

Stop Mandatory Paid Time Off in Tucson

In early December, City of Tucson Ward 1 Council-member Regina Romero proposed a mandatory paid time off (PTO) policy. The ordinance, cleverly named “Safe and Sick Time,” would require all employers to provide paid time off for employees, regardless of their employment status. The City would mandate that for every 30 hours worked, an employee would earn at a minimum 1 hour of paid time off. If an employer has fewer than 10 employees, employees could accrue up to 40 hours. If the employer has more than 10 employees, that accrual would be up to 56 hours.

Mandating paid sick leave is a gross intrusion into the employer-employee relationship by a municipal government. In order to ensure consistent expectations for both workers and industry, policies affecting that relationship must be made at the federal and state level. A patchwork of regulations at the municipal level is nearly impossible to comply with and can result in irreparable harm to job creators by adding to business expenses, complicating work schedules and requiring another layer of regulatory compliance.

It is vital that every business owner show up and tell this ‘stakeholder’ group why this proposal is bad for business and give the group a resounding “thumbs down” on adopting it.

The City of Tucson is holding three public stakeholder meetings this month. The stakeholder meetings will be held from 6-7:30 p.m. at different locations:

  • Wednesday, January 13 at the Ward 5 Council Office, 4300 S. Park Ave.
  • Thursday, January 21 at the Ward 6 Council Office, 3202 E. 1st St.
  • Thursday, January 28 at the Ward 2 Council Office, 7575 E. Speedway Blvd.

If you want to submit a comment and can’t attend a meeting, email econdev@tucsonaz.gov. Please use “Earned Sick and Safe Time” in the subject line. If you have any questions, or would like to become more involved, contact Robert Medler, VP of Government Affairs at rmedler@tucsonchamber.org.