Panel advances San Francisco�ordinance to give domestic workers portable access to paid sick leave

The Budget and Finance Committee on Dec. 8 voted 3-0 to send to the full Board an ordinance introduced by Supervisor Ronan that would create San Francisco's Domestic Workers Equal Access to Paid Sick Leave program, a portable benefits model intended to allow domestic workers who work for multiple private employers to accrue and access earned sick time.

The program directs the Office of Economic and Workforce Development (OEWD) to convene a six-month planning advisory process with domestic workers, employers and city departments to design system details, track hours and net pay rates, and minimize administrative burdens. Following the planning phase OEWD will run a procurement to contract with a third-party provider unless it determines an internal solution is preferable.

Supervisor Ronan framed the ordinance as a first-of-its-kind portable benefit system developed with the California Domestic Workers Coalition. The committee heard testimony from Martha Garrido, a domestic worker who described lacking paid sick time after a workplace injury, and Mary Amsler, an employer who said a portable system would help employers comply and ensure workers get the time they need.

Hundreds of callers from worker organizations, advocacy groups and employers called in to support the bill; community groups urged funding for implementation and for translation and outreach to non-English-speaking workers. OEWD proposed a small set of clarifying, non-substantive amendments on planning and timeline language; the City Attorney offered technical enforcement clarifications. The committee adopted the amendments and forwarded the ordinance to the full Board with a positive recommendation.

What happens next: OEWD will begin the planning phase and prepare a procurement plan; the ordinance anticipates implementation in late 2022 or early 2023 pending procurement and funding decisions. The committee record indicates the city will seek to minimize administrative burden for employers and set baseline operational and reporting standards.