We spent the first two days of this week in court. Usually that’s not a good thing but this was educational. L’Oca d’Oro were set to be witnesses for the defense in the TX Association of Businesses attempt to get an injunction placed on the city’s Paid Sick Leave ordinance that was passed 7-2 in February. The state’s witnesses went first and the City’s lawyers determined that they had not established that the ordinance presented an undue burden. So, the defense opted to not put any witnesses on the stand and I was free to go.
We won this round. But the state will likely appeal and, based on evidence presented by the City, has had a strategy to write pre-emptive legislation since before the council even passed the ordinance. This is frustrating in the extreme.
This government mandate is for 8 days of paid sick leave. It seems like the least of the benefits that the richest nation should provide and that is what we are stuck fighting over. What is gratifying is that this fight has brought together a group of businesses in Austin who think we can all do better by our employees and that that will be better for the city.