Appelbaum explained to the diners, " A surprisingly high two-out-of-five private sector workers, and four-out-of-five low-wage workers, have no paid sick days at all. That's 210,000 Philadelphians who do not have a single paid sick day, and most workers who do have paid sick days can't use them to care for a sick child."
While consuming mountains of delicious food, the diners discussed how Mayor Michael Nutter vetoed an earned sick-day bill in June 2011. At the time, Nutter, standing on the steps of the Camber of Commerce, told the press, "The paid-sick-leave bill . . . would put thousands of jobs at risk and discourage businesses from coming to the city of
Appelbaum told Green Night Out that Nutter was wrong. "There is no evidence that earned sick pay causes job loss or discourages businesses from opening." When earned sick pay became available in
Appelbaum's most recent book, Low Wage America: How Employers are Reshaping Opportunity in the Workplace , is available from www.amazon.com.
Green Night Out takes place monthly at Singapore Kosher Vegetarian Chinese Restaurant, www.singaporevegetarian.com. Green Night Out is sponsored by the Green Party of Philadelphia, www.gpop.org. For more information about future Green Nights Out, please contact 215-243-7103.