SAINT PAUL – Mayor Chris Coleman today released the following statement in response to City Council’s passage of an Earned Sick and Safe Time ordinance for the city of Saint Paul:
“As a descendent of Irish immigrants who worked hard and played by the rules, I have always felt compelled to advance policies that improve the lives of working people. Passing an earned sick and safe time policy that extends the benefit so many of us already enjoy to the most vulnerable among us is the right thing to do.
“I want to thank the broad coalition of advocates, including labor, faith-based groups and business owners who helped to advance this issue and who gathered over many weeks and months to hash out the details and try to overcome differences. I said we’d do this the Saint Paul way and I know the extensive process we engaged in over the past handful of months delivered on that.
“I also want to acknowledge that even with the robust conversations we have convened, there are business leaders in our city who still have concerns. I want to assure them that we will continue to listen to them as we go through the rule-making process while remaining steadfast in our commitment to ensuring the most vulnerable are protected.
“We are experiencing tremendous momentum as a city. We need to do everything we can to ensure even the most vulnerable among us are experiencing that same momentum. This ordinance brings us one step closer to doing so and I support it for that reason.”
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