Transcript: Mayor de Blasio Delivers Remarks and Signs Paid Sick Leave Bill Into Law

March 20, 2014

CONTACT: pressoffice@cityhall.nyc.gov, (212) 788-2958

Video available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9rs02rROtY

Mayor Bill de Blasio: Hey. Well, let me say at the outset – this is really an extraordinary day, four years in the making, and one that so many people here present were a part of that they should be very, very proud of. First, I want to thank our host today – Jeff Rosenblum and Ashish Dua, who created this extraordinary facility. This is really representing the best of Brooklyn, and the growing economic dynamism of Brooklyn – you can see it right here when you look around these floors, something exciting is happening with a lot of jobs for working people attached and we really want to thank them for all they're doing for Brooklyn, and for the city, and for their generosity. I also want to thank David Stein and everyone at Steve's Craft Ice Cream for hosting us. You're going to hear their story as we proceed today. I'm told there will be ice cream sampling going on afterwards – a very important part of the day.

But David Stein and all his colleagues really exemplify the vision we have for a healthy work force, a secure work force that will also help to make sure our businesses are doing well all the time. I want to thank, in addition to Jeff and Ashish, everyone at Acumen Capital Partners. Again, what they've done to turn this building – it's the old Pfizer building – and to turn it into an exciting modern use is absolutely commendable. Let me acknowledge my colleagues in city government who are here today. You're going to hear from some of them in a few moments but some of those joining us here seated – council member Corey Johnson, council member Karen Koslowitz, council member Antonio Reynoso, council member Ydanis Rodriguez, councilman Jimmy Van Bramer, councilman Mattieu Eugene, and councilwoman Laurie Cumbo. We want to thank all of them for their support. Did I get – I missed Steve Levin – oh, I missed my cellmate. Don't worry, I remember. I remember those days. Thank you, Steve, for being here.

Now, we thought about the perfect location for a bill-signing ceremony – one that would generate greater public interest. We decided an ice cream company was just the right choice - going to add to the interest people take today and we're all thrilled to be here to be part of this. You know, we've got a lot of people here today who understand very personally what this new law will mean for the people of this city, for the families of this city – so many people who have hoped for just a little more economic security, just a little more ability to take care of themselves and their families.

In a perfect world, these are the kind of things our federal government would've taken on a long time ago. This is the sort of thing that should be a given in our society – an ever more complex society, people working longer and longer hours, all sorts of family configurations. You would've thought a long time ago the federal government would've said, hey, people need paid sick leave, they need that basic security, we'll step in and take care of it on a national level. We all know that that's not possible right now – it's a sad reality. So it's come to cities and states around the country to take action. And I have to say, I'm honored to say, on behalf of New York City, we're acting. A lot of other localities around the state – around the country, excuse me – have stepped up because they knew what their people needed, and they knew it was time for action.

Here, we've had the partnership of this extraordinary city council, this progressive city council, and its great leader Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito. There's been an atmosphere of partnership from day one. We knew this was important to get done, and get done quickly. We knew April 1 could be a day that would fundamentally change the lives of hundreds of thousands of New York families. And we wanted to make sure that as many people were reached as possible.

This will be the first city law that I will have the privilege to sign as mayor. And -

[Applause]

Thank you, thank you. And I could not be more honored that that law is the expanded paid sick leave law – so important to the people of this city. And I have to tell you for a half million more New Yorkers starting on April 1 – half million more than the law passed last year – will benefit. Who are they? They're everyday New Yorkers, they're waitresses and dishwashers and store clerks and carwash employees and people who work in small manufacturing firms – they're the backbone of New York City. And they deserve a better deal. They deserve a chance for security for themselves and their families. And I have to tell you, when you look at the impact we're making today – look around the country at the different jurisdictions that have passed paid sick leave laws. Look at the people they cover.

With the action we're going to take today, with a stroke of this pen, we're going to cover, as I said, half a million more people. That is as many people as two of the localities that recently passed sick leave laws have people. You take the population of Newark, New Jersey and the population of Jersey City, New Jersey and combine them – that's about half a million people. We're covering half a million more people just with this action today.

Now, when I gave my State of the City address, I said that our aim was to create a New York City that respects work as much as it respects wealth. And it's so important that we make work pay, that we make the lives of hard-working honest people work better for them. So I say to the half million more people who will be reached by this law – to my fellow New Yorkers – I said because of this law, starting on this April 1– less than two weeks from now – you will have a new fundamental right, one that you haven't had in the past. And it's something that many New Yorkers who do have the privilege of paid sick leave take for granted, something they've been used to. And it's an extraordinarily important right to have. For a half million more people, they will have the legal guarantee for the first time of paid sick leave.

And I have to say, it's going to be a protected right because we know how fundamental it is to people's lives.

And this all came from – and you can talk to so many people here – this came from people's experience. The urgency we all felt about this legislation – it wasn't abstract, it wasn't something we read about in a book. It was from hearing from our fellow New Yorkers. It was seeing the difference when you knew what it was like to have paid sick leave – and those of us who have been blessed, understand how fundamental it is. And then you talk to people who didn't have it. You heard what it meant in their lives – the dislocations they went through, the tough choices they would make – going to work sick, knowing they were going to get a lot sicker, knowing they could, in fact, sadly, pass the sickness onto their coworkers and the customers of the business. But look at the choice they had – if they didn't go to work sick, losing a day's pay, two day's pay, a week's pay, in a very punishing economy where a lot of people are one paycheck away from disaster. A lot of people don't even have the ability to lose a day or two's pay without really dislocating their personal economics. And it wasn't just about individuals and their health, it's about their families as well. When you talk to people who've had to make that choice – whether they're going to take care of a sick child when they know that child needs their help or take care of a relative who's truly in need, but they don't really have that opportunity because they can't afford to lose that day's pay – it pulls at people, it wrenches at them. And it doesn't represent the values that we believe in if we're trying to create a more just society. We don't want people having to choose between whether they have enough money for rent that month or for medicine that month or for food that month or whether they take care of their own health or the health of a loved one.

And we thought it was very important to make sure that this bill reflected the modern family so that it allows a worker to take care of a grandparent or a grandchild because – or a brother or a sister – because that's the reality of families today. People have to watch out for each other. People are together in all sorts of configurations. What binds them together is love and commitment to each other and when someone is sick you need someone to be there for you to see you through the storm. And that's something we believe in in this city.

I'd like to say that all of us here believe in real family values – not the family values that might have been part of the civic discourse a couple of decades ago, but real family values that mean protecting families' economic security, making sure that the health of families is protected. And by the way, we've seen, in the jurisdictions that have passed paid sick leave, we've seen an extraordinarily positive result – not just for the workers, but for the businesses. We've seen workplace turnover go down, we've see productivity and morale go up. The loyalty of the employees to the company increases when their basic needs are addressed.

Some business owners didn't wait for this law. They were ahead of the curve. They knew what their employees needed. They knew what the right thing to do was. David Stein, here at Steve's Ice Cream, is an example of that in providing paid sick leave well before the law was to take effect. And by the way, I'm proud to say that that company is moving some of its operations from Long Island to Brooklyn.

[Applause]

That is a vote of confidence in Brooklyn, a vote of confidence in New York City, it's also a vote of confidence in this new law. When employers say we want to be a part of a city that's providing this kind of protection to its people. We know that with a good public information effort, and the kind of outreach we want to do to our small businesses, that we're going to make this work for everyone. We have our colleagues here from the city department of consumer affairs, in partnership with elected officials and local organizations. They're going to be working with small business owners in the coming months. They'll work with them to figure out the best way to spread information about the law and make sure we can implement it effectively and fairly. We care deeply about our small businesses, a lot of us have been fighting for more fairness for small businesses for many years. We want to make sure that this law works well for them, and we're convinced it can. And they will be at the table as we do that.

So it's time now to thank and to hear from some of the people who made this possible. And I'll just mention some in advance and I'll call them up one-by-one to speak. Some of them – I should say – I'm going to thank a lot of people, I'm going to call some of the individuals up to speak. First of all, Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito. Again, I've known her a long time. When she sees injustice, she acts. She knows how urgent it is to serve people in need. In all my conversations with the speaker on this bill, there was never a question of waiting or doing less, she knew we needed to do this now. And I thank her for her leadership, it's been decisive. Thank you, Speaker. I want to thank council members Margaret Chin, who carried the bill on behalf of the administration, and Daneek Miller, who is the chair of the committee that passed out the bill, I want to thank them for their efforts to make this possible, and all of our colleagues in the City Council. I want to thank the original sponsor, who has a propensity to make her voice heard, and even those who did not want to look at how important the issue was could not help but hear her voice. Now, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, thank you for all you have done to bring this day to reality.

[Applause]

And all these extraordinary advocacy groups, the Better Balance Coalition, the Paid Sick Days Coalition, the Restaurant Opportunities Center of New York, Make the Road New York – so many organizations that were devoted to getting this done. It's been a four-year battle, I have to remind you, four years is a long time. People stuck with it. And they're part of a broad coalition: elected officials, state leaders, community groups, labor groups, business groups. All of them stuck with it because they knew this was the kind of reform we needed in this city. I want to thank the members of our administration who hit the ground running, to make sure than not only did this legislation pass, but we're ready to implement it, working with small businesses. That includes our Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen, and I want to thank the leaders at the Consumer Affairs Department who are with us today: Deputy Commissioners Alba Pico and Marla Tepper, and all of the staff from my office and from the Law Department who worked so intensely to make sure that we could move forward with this bill. Four years has been a long time, but I can say to everyone involved – we have prevailed at last. We have achieved our full goal. Half a million more people about to be covered, a law that will protect their rights, and make sure that they're respected and their families are respected. And that is something everyone should be truly proud of. And with that I'd like to thank the person who shepherded this to completion, the Speaker of the City Council, Melissa Mark-Viverito.

[Applause]

[Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito speaks, followed by Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, Councilmember Margaret Chin, and Councilmember Daneek Miller]

Mayor: Two important notes: one is that, in addition to being a moment of important change and progress for New York City, April 1 also marks Melissa Mark-Viverito's first birthday as Speaker of the City Council. So, happy birthday in advance. It's a great gift. You get to give a great gift.

I also want to say that – Gale Brewer spoke in terms of sequences of a thousand – I want to say a thousand thank yous to Shula Warren, who played such a crucial role in this. Working for Gale Brewer, I'm certain that Shula Warren was asked a thousand probing questions about the state of development. So, Shula, you have earned your accolades.

Just a moment in Spanish:

Los – and you should do a moment in Spanish after I do a moment in Spanish – los trabajadores neoyorquinos no deben tener escoger entre tomar un día de enfermedad y ganar su salario. La posibilidad de ausentarse del trabajo para causas de enfermedad sin perder el salario es un derecho que les fue negado a demasiados neoyorquinos por demasiado tiempo. Esta nueva ley otorga este derecho a medio millón de trabajadores neoyorquinos. Este es el primero de una serie de pasos para contribuir – gracias – al progreso de las familias trabajadoras de la ciudad.

I'm going to get you an upgrade now on the Spanish.

[Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito speaks in Spanish, small break for all]

Mayor: Okay, reconvening. We'll do questions on-topic first, then off-topic. Questions on this topic, Rafael.

Question: [inaudible]

Mayor: Well, it's – I was going to say – it's the speaker's birthday present to the people of New York City. But we're happy that this achievement is happening on her birthday because it's a testament to her leadership, and her willingness to move this crucial reform right away. Grace? Hold on, we're live now.

Question: [inaudible]

Mayor: Let me – our colleagues from department of consumer affairs can step forward. I'll start, and then they can add – they also will be using the stepstool, I can tell already. The notion here is, the law takes effect April 1st. Individual workers then have to accrue sick days. So there's a process for doing that, and it happens speedily, but they have to accrue them. We're going to work with small businesses in the first month to educate them about the bill, make sure they understand how it works. So, in the course of this year, we believe, we'll be able to help every small business in this city understand the workings of the law, understand the advantages of the law, get their questions answered, and as people are accruing those days, then they'll be able to start utilizing those days as they need them. Obviously there are very clear guidelines, and people will use them only as needed. But the idea is that in the course of these next months, all that will be happening simultaneously. Let's see if our friends from Consumer Affairs….

There we go. Deputy Commissioner Pico.

First Deputy Commissioner Alba Pico, Department of Consumer Affairs: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. We are going to launch a very heavy education for the businesses, for the employees. We actually, right this minute, it's already online. If you go into the NYC paid sick leave dot gov, you're going to see FAQs, about 18 pages. We have a one-pager, we have notices to employees, and we – starting tomorrow – inspectors are going to go door-by-door to every business, educating them. And it's going to be a massive campaign, and we're going to be doing a lot of trainings in different languages. And we are hoping that many of you will reach out to us so we could go to all your events, and we will be there training people. Our main goal is to mediate complaints. So, if an employee comes to me and complains about something that is wrongdoing, we're going to be mediating that complaint, and we're going to get the business to comply with that, so that's our main goal.

Mayor: En español?

First Deputy Commissioner Pico: Lo primero que vamos a hacer es una campaña bien grande que vamos a avanzar ahora mismo en nuestra página de internet. Esta toda la información que las personas necesitan. Tenemos 18 páginas de preguntas y respuestas, tenemos una página de les estamos dando a los empleados y a los trabajadores y a los que entrenan la gente. Vamos a ir puerta por puerta, los inspectores de nosotros, educando los negocios. Y si una persona se queja, lo que estamos tratando de hacer es hacer que al empleado le den sus días que se merecen.

Question: [inaudible]

Mayor: [inaudible] Commissioner [inaudible]

Deputy Commissioner Marla Tepper, Department of Consumer Affairs: So, the law provides the statutory penalties, but the main goal of the law is to make employees whole. If they've been aggrieved, the goal is to make sure they get back what they're entitled to. And that's going to be our goal in enforcement. In addition, because we recognize that there's a period of time for employers to get to know the law, and work with the department to understand it, there will be a stay of penalties for the first six months for small employers and for manufacturers.

Mayor: [inaudible]

Deputy Commissioner Tepper: Yes, it's businesses under 19. 19 and under.

Mayor: Right. Let me just jump in. Thank you very much. But don't go far. The notion – we really do believe in the power of public education, in terms of the small businesses, and having a clear message and going out to the businesses, and talking it through with them. I've been very critical of some of the efforts in the past to find businesses, without an honest effort, to explain to them what they had to do, or have an arbitrary approach to enforcement that wasn't about education first. We really believe in education first, so there is that six month period for the businesses to get used to the law, to ask their questions, to get ready. And we think the vast majority of small businesses are going to readily comply with it, because they're going to see what's been seen all over the country: that there's a lot of positive benefits to this approach. It's an enlightened approach, and it really does lead to a healthier, more productive workforce.
In the back.

Question: [inaudible]

Mayor: Right. I'll let both the deputy commissioner, who may want to speak to that, and because of her long expertise on this area, the borough president may want to speak to it. Our goal is to educate people across the board, and work with them. And again, the remedy, as you heard, is make sure if anyone was unfairly denied sick days, that they get the compensation back. So, it's really about getting people the information they need to work with it productively. There's been a lot of information out over the last four years. There's been a lot of information out since the original bill was passed last year. So I don't think there's too many businesses that haven't heard the basics, but we're going to continue that education effort. Who would like to add?

First Deputy Commissioner Pico: Thank you. We are continuing the education that Mr. Mayor just mentioned. We are also going to, March 31, we're actually going to have a big campaign in the subways and in the buses and everything else. We have the paperwork that is required for them to enforce the law, and also a notice that they have to give out to the employees. So, we're ready, and many businesses are ready now. And, as Mr. Mayor mentioned, education is our first goal.

Question: [inaudible]

Mayor: The history of the desk – I'll make sure Phil and his colleagues get you – I don't know the history of the desk. I can tell you the reason we're here – we wanted to, first of all, give you a live example of a great company that believes in the importance of providing paid sick leave, and that has had great results because of it.

Second, you know, I think in everything we do, we try and remember the people we serve. So, although the City Hall signing ceremonies are traditional, I'm interested in being out, where the people are, and really exemplifying what each piece of legislation means for people. And I think here you have an example of where the employees have benefited and the business has benefited as well.

Question: [inaudible]

Mayor: All of us up here care deeply about small business – I can tell you that for a fact. A lot of us have been trying to defend small businesses against unfair and arbitrary policies. You know, when I was public advocate, we made a real focus on uncovering the unfair fine structures that small businesses were experiencing – particularly in the outer boroughs, particularly in immigrant communities. So, I care deeply about fairness for small business. I think the way this law is structured, with the emphasis on education, the emphasis on working with small business, it's going to turn out to be a great result for everyone. And I think you're going to see, as Esmeralda, if she's still here, is evidence, and as the folks here at this ice cream company are evidence, that when you have a more productive and healthier workforce, it's a win-win for everyone. And that's, that's why we wanted to really accentuate this good experience here.

Question: [inaudible]

Mayor: I did. Yes. I'll tell you something that I think every one of us can imagine – that in our whole life, we learn in school how to do your script, your cursive, whatever it is, and you learn how to write your name, and you do that for a long time. In my case, more than four decades since I was first taught it in school. And then one day, a staffer comes up to you in City Hall and says, now don't do that anymore. Do it one letter at a time with a different pen. So it did take a little practice this morning, but, actually, once you get used to it, it's a fascinating way of writing. I would not encourage it on a wide level. It would be very slow, but yes, we did have a nice practice session this morning.

Question: [inaudible]

Mayor: Consumer Affairs folks, explain that.

Deputy Commissioner Tepper: If an employee has a complaint, we will have a complaint form available online. Employees can call 3-1-1 and get an intake form. We will review that, get further information if we need it, contact the employer, and we will try to mediate that complaint. And we hope we will be as successful as the other jurisdictions who have already enacted this law. And we are confident that we will be able to help both the employees and businesses.

Question: [inaudible]

Mayor: I'll start and then any of my colleagues can clarify it. We define small business, actually, on a broader spectrum. The ones we're reaching today are from five employees and up to 19. Previously, 20 and up was reached. But I think they all fall into the category of small business – maybe in some cases medium-size business. The notion here is that we think this is an enlightened policy for all different sizes of businesses and we wanted to make sure that for the hundreds of thousands of people who didn't have coverage, that they got it. And I have to tell you, it's really become a challenge for families in our modern society to deal with dislocations – dislocations of pay, or what a sickness does to a family. We wanted to address that and that's why we wanted to get it to a much wider range of working people. But I know we will work with businesses to help them understand the law, to help them make sure that there's the right checks and balances, and to make it a good experience for the small businesses. One or two more, on topic, if any. On topic – going once, going twice – how many times do I get to going thrice you get the on-topic question – here we go, here we go. Okay, nothing more on topic. Off topic, now. Off topic.

Question: [inaudible]

Mayor: No, I think I've talked about this a number of times. I think it's the right thing to do. Obviously, I've said it very squarely last year and the people voted and we'll proceed with the city council on legislation that's being drafted.

Question: [inaudible]

Mayor: I think there's a lot of folks in the city council who think it's the right thing to do. And we're going to go through a full legislative process. Jonathan –

Question: [inaudible]

Mayor: A very troubling report. Mr. Murdough was a veteran, a marine veteran, homeless. My heart goes out to his family. We've lost someone who served his country. And we don't know all the facts yet. There's a full investigation going on, but obviously, the allegations that we've heard so far are troubling. I've chosen the new corrections commissioner, Joseph Ponte, who is nationally regarded as a reformer, who is someone who has taken on very troubled situations in jails systems and prisons systems previously, and had tremendous success. He'll be joining us quite soon. And we know we have to make some serious reforms, but I was very struck by this report.

Question: Mr. Mayor, [inaudible]?

Mayor: Obviously, it's shocking and troubling, and I don't know how it possibly could have happened. And I – at least can say from what I've heard in media reports – there were obviously more consequences for some of the people involved who made mistakes.

Question: [inaudible] investigation reports [inaudible]

Mayor: I don't know the history of how the NYPD has handled it. What I can say is I know Commissioner Bratton is very committed to transparency, and he is obviously very personally committed to Vision Zero. And we're working with a lot of families who have lost loved ones, so we'll certainly speak to them and figure out a good transparency methodology going forward.

Question: [inaudible]

Mayor: Did he make that up? It's very catchy.

Question: [inaudible]

Mayor: Well first of all, I feel that Jimmy McMillan should get royalties for every time his phrase is reappropriated. The – there's a couple of issues with the way we go about our water bills. I say this as an outer borough homeowner who feels this personally. One, which we worked on a lot in the last year when I was Public Advocate, is we need a different and better appeals process. It's something our new DEP Commissioner Emily Lloyd will be working on right away. A process that'll be more fair to homeowners and small business owners, because right now it's extremely difficult to pursue an appeal and very difficult to ever win one if you're the consumer. And something's wrong there that we have to fix. On the question of the overall billing system, my goal is to reduce any charges that are not related directly to water. We're going to have to do that over time as we deal with a lot of financial challenges. But it's something that I'm committed to doing over time.

Question: [inaudible] speed bumps [inaudible]

Mayor: As each – we're in the process of change, is what I can say. As each new commissioner comes on board, it's clear that this is a priority to reform the system. Our Small Businesses Commissioner Maria Torres-Springer knows this is a priority. Our new DEP Commissioner Emily Lloyd knows this is a priority. As we fill in the other pieces, all of them will understand that this is a primary commitment to this administration, to reform. It's not going to happen overnight, and I know that. It's a complicated system that needs change both in terms of some of the rules and in terms of how we train our inspectors and supervise our inspectors. But we're in the process of making that change.

Question: [inaudible] your administration?

Mayor: We'll have more to say when it's time for the executive budget.

Question: [inaudible]

Mayor: I don't know the particulars. I think there's tremendous support for our pre-K and after school plan. I don't think pressure is going to stop a lot of legislators from supporting it. So I wasn't there for the conversations that are alleged, but I don't imagine that they had much effect because the level of support is very high, as we saw in both the Assembly and the State Senate. Thanks everyone!