“The Philadelphia City Council’s decision not to vote on an override of Mayor Nutter’s veto of a paid sick days standard, because the Council is one vote short, is a bitter disappointment. It will mean that more than 100,000 Philadelphians will continue to face impossible choices when illness strikes. For the second time, the city’s residents have been denied the ability to earn paid sick days. The city and the families who live there will suffer as a result.

But this does not change the fact that the City Council has twice passed this bill, and that support is growing across the country for this common sense, family friendly policy. From Portland, Oregon, to New York City, lawmakers have advanced paid sick days standards. National momentum is strong, and victories will continue.

Mayor Nutter let the city down when he chose to side with the special-interest business lobby for a second time. But the effort to give workers the right to earn paid sick days will not end here.

We applaud the Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces, along with all of the workers, businesses and advocates who devoted so much time and energy to this campaign. They have shown their tremendous commitment to a stronger, healthier and more family friendly Philadelphia. The fight for paid sick days in Philadelphia, and across the country, is far from over.”