The Board of Supervisors this week approved an interim emergency ordinance requiring large businesses in unincorporated areas of the county to provide 80 hours of additional paid sick leave for full-time workers who need time off because of the coronavirus.
The ordinance applies to companies with more than 500 employees nationally.
Supervisors Janice Hahn and Hilda Solis co-authored the motion recommending the ordinance, which exempts businesses with collective bargaining agreements in place.
The federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act mandates additional sick leave for workers affected by the virus, but does not apply to companies with more than 500 employees.
Solis said that at least 38 companies in unincorporated areas employ that many workers, but it was not immediately clear which of those companies would be exempted because of collective bargaining agreements or an existing plan to offer more sick leave.
The board also directed the county’s lawyers and chief executive officer to draft another ordinance giving workers laid off in the hospitality and janitorial services industries due to the COVID-19 pandemic a “right of recall” when business resumes.
“These two industries are among our hardest hit,” Hahn said. “We’ve seen a large number of those people lose their jobs as hotels are mostly empty and janitorial cleaning services are being scaled back.
“These two ordinances would ensure that as these businesses start to come back, their jobs would still be there for them.”
The second ordinance is expected to be voted on the board’s May 12 meeting.
“This will provide stability for our hard-working families,” Solis said.
