Austin City Council has announced a new rule that will affect business owners and employees in the state’s capital–paid sick leave.
According to the the Texas Tribune, the new rule mandates that private employers allow workers to accrue up to 64 hours, or eight days, of paid sick leave per year. Small businesses with 15 or less employees could pay sick days up to 48 hours, or six work days. It is scheduled to go into effect on Oct. 1. Micro-businesses, that have five or less employees, will not be required to provide paid sick-leave until Oct. 2020.
Employees will accrue paid sick leave at a rate of one hour per 30 worked, according to the Statesman.
Austin is the first Texas city to pass a paid sick-day ordinance.
Although the rule passed only a few weeks ago, there is already momentum to overturn the mandate.
State Rep. Paul Workman declared that the ordinance was “declaring war” on small private businesses, according to the Texas Tribune.
“It’s not the role of the government to mandate for employers to do this,” Workman was quoted as saying in the Texas Tribune.
As a measure to protect small businesses in Texas, state Sen. Donna Campbell tweeted that she is “fully prepared to pass statewide legislation to stop Austin’s intrusion into the private sector and protect small businesses in Texas.”
Local business owners have also expressed their dismay for the new rule. Owner and President of the County Line barbecue restaurant Skeeter Miller called the city’s ordinance “disappointing.”
“This ordinance came up and there was no business input — the business community was not apart of this,” Miller was quoted as saying in the Texas Tribune. “One-size-fits-all policy doesn’t work.”
